Demon Chronicles
by SeeNoEvil121
Summary: Kaori Sato is your average girl. She goes to school, has a job, takes care of her little sister and... has a Demon? That's just a little abnormal, right? Follow Kaori and Hayate in their adventure to become Demon King! OC's wanted. Submit in Reviews.
1. Level 1

**Demon Chronicles**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell, or any ideas affiliated with it.

**A/N:** Yes, I've written a similar story before, and no, I did not complete it. But I'm going to give it another shot. Demon Chronicles is an original adventure in the world of Gash Bell, though it's not written using the same character as before. Don't worry though, she'll make an appearance more then once I'm sure. I don't know how long this little adventure will last, but I'll do my best, 'kay?

SNE121

**Chapter I**

The sun was shining brightly through the open curtains of the large classroom windows. Toward the front, a teacher was lecturing; something about the structure of an English sentence or something, but hardly anyone was paying attention. Those closer to the doors were packed up already, waiting eagerly for the bell to ring, signaling the end of the school day. Those closer to the windows were gazing out at the asphalt one floor below, watching those students who left during the last period walk happily out of the school, wishing that they were amongst them. Some toward the middle of the classroom were staring absently into space as others rested their heads on their desks and slept.

Kaori Sato was one of those others. Her arms were crossed on her desk, her forehead resting on them. Short, light blond hair covered whatever part of her face that wasn't covered by the black hooded sweater she was wearing. She wore the same uniform as everyone else did: white t-shirt with a red bow around the collar, a dark red skirt, and black shoes. She was tired. She was bored. She desperately wanted to go home, but most of all, she just wanted to sleep.

Unfortunately for her, however, as she drifted into the world of sleep, something that felt strangely like a rolled up workbook tapped her shoulder. She groaned in protest and waved it away. Then, there was a loud _crack _of something hitting her desk, and an annoyed males voice shouting, "Sato!" in a brisk tone, and Kaori lifted her head with a start.

"What?" she snapped. Blue-green looked up to whoever had spoken, only to find that it was in fact the teacher himself, holding a rolled up workbook in one hand and hitting it against the other to an invisible rhythm. "Mr. Kurosawa,"

"For once, Sato, keep your head up and pay attention," Mr. Kurosawa snapped. He again tapped her head with the workbook. "And take that hood off,"

Kaori rolled her eyes and pushed the hood off her head. Her hair was out or place, and she ran a hand through it quickly in an attempt to smooth it out. "Listen to yourself talk, Mr. Kurosawa, then tell me to pay attention in your class," she said lazily as she rested an elbow on the desk and propped her chin on her hand. "Besides, you make it seem like I'm the _only_ one not paying attention," she gesture around the room with her free hand. Some of the students were watching them now, others gazing absently into space.

Kurosawa opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of the bell. Instantly, chairs screeched against the ground as people pushed them back and rose from their seats. Kurosawa sighed and walked back to the front, quickly assigning them a reading assignment. Kaori made a mental note of it as she picked up her bag and walked toward the door. "And Sato," he added as an afterthought. She stopped, hearing her name, but didn't look at him. "Fall asleep in my class again and you'll wake up in the principal's office,"

Kaori lifted a hand to signal her acknowledgement. "Gotcha," she said simply. She yawned and exited the classroom. She walked quietly down the hall toward the buildings exit, and barely put her hand on the door when she heard someone behind her call her name.

"Kaori, wait up," The lazy voice said. Kaori pushed open the door, allowing the warm air from outside to enter the cool building, and turned. A tall, blond haired boy approached her from the staircase on the other side of the building, walking patiently. He was two year older then Kaori at eighteen years, attending his last year of high school. The boys name was Ichigo Sato; Kaori's older brother. He was the oldest of the family, and naturally, his hair was dark brown, but of course, being the rebel he was, he dyed it bleach blond. It was even lighter then Kaori's. His eyes were an ashy grey, a trait inherited from their father. He held his backpack lazily over one shoulder, and in one hand, he had a set of car keys.

"Hurry up, Ichigo," Kaori said to him. "We've got to go meet Kari so we can leave." Kari was short for Hikari, Kaori's younger sister. She was twelve; four years younger then Kaori, and the two looked surprisingly alike. They all went to the same school, though the buildings were separated by grade type: elementary school, Middle school, and high school.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Ichigo said. He held the door open with a hand and Kaori stepped out into the sun. "It's not like she's going to go anywhere without us,"

Kaori looked at her brother with a raised brow. "With Hikari, you never know," she said as she walked. Ichigo frowned a bit. He knew his younger sister had a point. Still, he shrugged it off.

They walked only a few minutes before they found the girl sitting on a bench in the schools courtyard. She wore a school uniform similar to Kaori's, though instead of red, it was blue. She caught sight of them and stood before walking toward them. Hikari was almost literally a miniature version of Kaori. Her hair was blond, cut short, but tied in pigtails on either side of her head, making her look younger then she actually was. Her eyes were a combination shade of green and blue, like Kaori's but they were more green then blue.

"What's your plan today, Kaori?" Ichigo suddenly asked once Hikari had reached them. Kaori looked at her brother for the briefest of moments.

"Oh," she said. "Uh, I've got to go to the book store, buy a book for Language." She answered. "I'll walk home,"

"You sure?" her brother asked with a jingle of the car keys. Kaori put a hand on her hips.

"I'm _sure_," she said firmly. Ichigo shrugged and turned away.

"Alright, whatever. Let's go Kari," he said as he began walking. "and be careful on the way, got it Kao?" He shot a look over his shoulder, smirking. "And remember, you see any dogs, don't run unless you want them to chase ya,"

"Bye Kaori!" Hikari said, following their brother. Kaori stared at him with a sudden fury. She _hated_ it when he brought up her fear of canines. Of course, she was frightened for good reason. When she was six, a dog tore her right hand to shreds when she'd attempted to pet it, and since then, she's acquired a deathly fear of the creatures, as well severe nerve damage in the hand. She rolled her eyes and turned away, walking in the opposite direction

"Stupid," she hissed under her breath. "He's so annoying! I can't stand it!"

"Well, ya know, big brothers tend to be like that," a different, females voice said from behind. Kaori smiled a bit, recognizing it instantly, and twirled around to walk backwards. The girl she was faced with was roughly her height and stood tall, her head raised. She had long, light brown hair tied in a ponytail with eyes to match, and wore the same uniform as Kaori. She played for the school's soccer team, and definitely looked it. Her name was Airi Kyouma, and was proud to say she was one of Kaori's closest friends. "Especially yours as we both know,"

"Ai-ri," Kaori said in a sing-song voice. Airi giggled.

"Kay-or-ee," she responded. She took several large steps to catch up to Kaori, and at that moment, the blond turned around with a light laugh. "So you going to the book store?" Airi asked.

"Uh-huh," Kaori answered as the two walked out of the school. "I've got to get that book a book for Language class,"

"That'll be fun," Airi said sarcastically. They walked in silence down the street for several minutes, then, with a much more playful tone, she spoke again. "So I heard Mr. Kurosawa got mad at you. Fall asleep again, you bad girl?" Kaori gave her a grin.

"Not intentionally," she said quickly, looking at Airi. "I mean, listen to how he walks. It's so monotone! And he singles me out, as if I'm the only person not paying attention in class right?"

She gave off a light 'oof' when she suddenly collided with another person walking in her direction. She staggered back and looked up, about to apologize. However, her words caught in her throat when she saw who she was facing. It was a boy she'd never seen before, no more then a year older then her, but several inches taller. He had white hair, though it looked strangely natural, and light, gray green eyes. He wore a dark red t-shirt with a black jacket over it, and blue jeans. His shoes were red converse, covered slightly by the hem of his pants. A black backpack was slung over his shoulder. He was pretty attractive.

"Hey," the boy said harshly. It was at that moment that Kaori noticed the annoyance in his eyes. "Watch where you're going, you klutz,"

Kaori felt a sudden wave of fury wash through her. This boy may be attractive, but he was a definite jerk. She was about to speak, but Airi beat her to it. "Hey, jerk, she's not the one who should apologize," the girl said with a hand on her hip. "_You_ bumped into her, or did you forget?"

The boy looked at Airi and blinked several times. Then, a sudden smile crossed his face and he turned his attention to her. "Hey, you're pretty cute," he said. His eyes looked her up and down once and she stepped back, annoyed. "You look pretty athletic too,"

"Back off, creep," Kaori said to the boy. He looked at her and rolled his eyes as he reached into his backpack. From it, he extracted a single, yellow book with strange characters in the front.

"Calm down, klutz," he said to her. He handed the book to Airi. "Hey, can you read this book?" Airi hesitated for several moments, looking at the hard cover. Neither she, nor Kaori had ever seen anything like it. She took it and flipped it open.

"Uh… no," she stated. She turned the book upside down and tilted her head. "What language is this? Hebrew?"

"Well what language do you read?" the boy asked. Airi ignored him and closed the book, then handed it to Kaori. The blond girl took it and looked at it. "If you can't read it, I'm pretty sure the klutz can't," he pointed out.

Kaori stared at him. "You're the most annoying person I've ever met," she snapped. "I'll bet I can read it," she flipped the cover open and turned a few pages in search for a legible page. She frowned. If she couldn't read it, she'd look like a complete idiot. Then, she found something.

A few pages from the beginning, there were words with different color writing; yellow instead of green. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the words. Were they… glowing? She touched them, searching for some form of heat, but there was none. Kaori decided it must be a trick of the light. "Can you read it?" Airi asked. Kaori looked up suddenly, as if pulled from a trance, and gave a brief nod. She looked at the boy, who looked back with mild surprise. Then, he put on a poker face and crossed his arms, leaning back a bit so he was standing at his tallest.

"You're bluffing," he said. Kaori's brow furrowed angrily and she put a finger to the words.

"I'll read them right now!" she said. The boy's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "The first spell…"

"Stop!" the boy said quickly as he stepped toward her and reached out toward the book.

"Jikir!" Kaori finished. The boy shifted his hand, holding it just to the side of Kaori's head. Kaori could feel a strange concentration of energy there, and then, it was released in a powerful beam of wind. She cringed, not expecting it, but didn't move. Airi stepped back in shock.

"What the hell was that?!" The soccer player shouted. The boy pulled his hand back and gazed at it.

"Wind," He stated calmly. He looked at Kaori. She was holding the book open in one hand, eyes wide. "My name is Uzuki, Hayate Uzuki," he stated. "Lucky for me, you're my partner," he spoke much more sarcastically now. Kaori blinked at him. What the _hell_ was this boy talking about?

**A/N:** And so it begins! Welcome to my world! Alright, anyway, please, remember to read and review. Tell me what you think. I haven't decided if I'm going to accept character requests this time, just so you all know. But I doubt it. See ya next chapter!


	2. Level 2

**Demon Chronicles**

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell or any ideas affiliated with it.

**A/N:** It's starting off a little slow, I know, but please, be patient. This will likely be a long fanfiction, assuming I retain the inspiration required to finish it. There were so many places I could have stopped in this chapter, and so many that I wanted to stop at, but I didn't see the point. It all revolved around the same topic. So, I guess keep reading, please review, and enjoy the chapter!

SNE121

**Chapter II**

"I'm your _what_?" Kaori said, shaking her head a bit. She must have been hallucinating. She could have _sworn_ that this boy… Hayate, he said is name was, shot a beam of wind from his right hand after she'd spoken the words in this strange yellow book with glowing writing. And she wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but she was _positive_ that the book began to _glow_ as soon as she read it. Kaori looked down at the strange hardcover book in her hand uncertainly.

"My _partner_," Hayate confirmed. "What, are you stupid too?" Kaori's cheeks burned with frustration and the slightest bit of embarrassment and she thrust the book into Hayate's chest with surprising force. The boy, not expecting it, staggered back and lifted a hand to keep the book from falling to the hard ground.

"I don't know how you did that weird little magic trick of yours, but I'm not buying it," she said sharply. "Do I look like an idiot?" She pushed passed him and Airi shot him a glare before following. Hayate took a deep breath, seeming to try to calm himself down, then turned and took several large steps to catch up.

"Hey, if you stop and listen, I'll explain," He caught Kaori's elbow in his hand to stop her, and she pulled free before spinning to face him. "I told you my name already. The reason you can read this book and your hot friend there can't is because you're my destined partner," he explained. He felt like a complete idiot saying this. "I can make that wind come out of my hand because I'm not human,"

"What are you? A parrot?" Airi asked harshly. Kaori laughed a bit at the comment and shot her a hi-five. Hayate groaned in annoyance.

"No," he said. "I'm a Demon. From the Demon World,"

Kaori and Airi looked at each other briefly. "Demon world?" Kaori asked, not believing a word of what he just said. Hayate rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Demon World. You know, Hell? The Underworld? The 'place of no return'?"

"I know what it is, idiot," Kaori snapped. "I just don't believe you. Prove it to me,"

Hayate stared at her with a satisfyingly dumbfounded expression. He lifted a hand and shook it in emphasis as he spoke. "What, you mean a beam of wind coming from my hand wasn't enough for you? What do want me to do? Make candy canes fall from the sky? Will that satisfy you?"

Airi looked mildly impressed. "You can do that?" she asked, seriously. Hayate stared at her and narrowed his eyes.

"_No_" he said clearly. He looked back at Kaori. "Listen, klutz, just take my word on this ok? I need your help, as much as I hate to admit it," He held out the book to her. Kaori lifted a hand and pressed her finger against his chest accusingly as she spoke.

"First of all," she began. "My name is _not_ klutz. It's Kaori Sato. That's Sato to you," she said. She stepped toward him and pressed again. He backed up at her advances. "Second of all, what makes you think I'm _interested_ in something like this, not that it even exists,"

Hayate blinked at her, surprised. He looked down at her hand and pushed it away lightly. "What human doesn't want this sort of adventure?" he asked her. As soon as he'd said that, he saw a flicker in her eyes and grinned. He'd found her weak spot.

"Adventure?" she asked, putting down her hand and stepping back. She crossed her arms and glanced at Airi. Now she was interested. "What sort of adventure?"

Hayate smirked. "To put it simply, _Sato_, I come from a world where every thousand years, we fight a battle to become king of my world. You," he pressed a finger against her forehead, which she promptly swiped away with the back of her hand, "are one of the lucky humans who get to be a part of it,"

Airi looked at Hayate and then turned her attention to Kaori. "You buying it?" she asked. Kaori shot a look at her and looked back at Hayate.

"Go on," she said calmly.

Hayate's grin widened. "This is a _battle_, Sato," he explained. "between ninety-nine others _like me_."

"You mean other Demon's?" Airi asked. Hayate smiled.

"Ah, she's catching on," he said. "Exactly. "Ninety-nine other Demons are going to be fighting, head to head, to become king."

"And you need me because…?" Kaori began. She spun a hand, inviting him to explain.

"Because you can read this book," he lifted the book and tapped with yellow cover. "And because every Demon needs a human to read their spells for them,"

Airi pushed forward, placing an arm around Kaori's shoulders as she began speaking. "So you're telling us that your participating in this battle relies on my little Kaori here?" Kaori rolled her eyes but smiled. Hayate frowned, suddenly annoyed again.

"Well when you put it like that…"

"No, no!" Airi said, lifting a finger to silence him. "Yes or no, Mr. Uzuki," Hayate scowled and muttered something incoherent. Airi put a hand to her ear and leaned forward a bit.

"Sorry? I couldn't hear you. You'll have to speak up," she said.

"Yes," Hayate said firmly, a bit louder, but with a heavy reluctance. Airi nodded, stepped back, and pulled her arm back from Kaori's shoulders. She stepped away from her friend and placed her hands on her hips. Kaori looked at her, biting her tongue.

"Well, what do you think, Kao?" Airi asked. Kaori hesitated. She looked at Hayate and then at the book he still held in his hand. It was definitely an adventure. It would be exciting. It was just what she wanted; something to turn this average, girl next door life upside down. She looked at Hayate again and smiled before reaching out and taking the yellow book from his hand.

"Alright, I'm in," she said.

Hayate smirked and held out a hand. "Glad you said that, Sato," he said. Kaori took it in hers and squeezed it firmly.

"That's Kaori to you," she said to him with a smile.

(--)

"What is this thing…?" Hayate asked as he poked a strange looking object on his plate with a fork. It was a hamburger with tomato, cheese, and pickles, topped with mustard and mayonnaise, and on the side was a small box of French fries. Airi and Kaori, after clarifying what exactly was going on, decided to buy lunch before going to the book store. On the menu today: American food.

"It's a hamburger," Airi explained. Hayate picked up the burger and spelled it, then looked underneath it. He lifted the bun and looked at the meat and condiments inside. "Now I know for _sure_ that you're not from this world. Who doesn't know what a hamburger is?"

Kaori sipped her soda calmly as she looked at Hayate. "Don't you have those in your Demon World?" she asked. Hayate timidly took a bite, chewed slowly, and swallowed. He looked at the burger, shrugged, and took another bite, and put it down.

"No," he said. He picked up his cup. He looked at the straw for several moments, as if trying to decide what to do with it, then, after observing Airi using it, he put it to his lips. "Hey, this thing doesn't work,"

"Don't know how to use a straw either?" Kaori asked. "Jeeze, you must come from a boring place. Suck on it."

Hayate did as he was told and was surprised with the carbonated soda slid into his mouth. He nearly spit it out, but forced himself to swallow and hiccupped afterward. Kaori and Airi couldn't help but laugh. "I'm assuming there's no soda in your world either, right?" Kaori asked. Hayate flushed, but shook his head.

"Do you have anything there?" Airi asked.

"Well, yeah," Hayate answered. "But everything grows on trees. I've never eaten meat like this, and this strange drink… there's something similar, but not with quite this taste,"

"It's a Pepsi," Kaori explained. She watched him take another drink and hiccup afterward. "Don't drink so fast, you'll get hiccups that way." She popped a fry into her mouth.

"So do all of these other Demons have the same powers as you?" Airi asked suddenly. She had her elbows leaning against the table with her chin propped into her palms. She was looking at Hayate pensively.

"No," he stated. He took another bite and didn't speak until he'd swallowed it. "They have all sorts of powers. Though, I'm not sure who else is participating. But I'll definitely know a Demon when I see one,"

"Ya know, I really want to see these other Demons," she said. "This whole battle thing, it'll make such an awesome story!"

"Story…?" Hayate asked. Airi's eyes seemed to be sparkling at the idea.

"Yeah!" she said. "A story, centering around you two! I can make a book out of it! Man, I'll be so famous!"

"Hey, Airi, don't go overboard!" Kaori said.

"And Kenta can draw out the characters! He's a great artist! I'll make a Manga out of it and everything!" Airi was standing now, her fist raised level with her chin as she imagined it. She was a writer, and their other close friend, Kenta Takehiro lived next door to Airi, and the two had known each other their entire lives. He was very close with Kaori as well; the three were almost like siblings. For years, Kenta drew the characters and scenes that Airi described in her stories. Their combined work was featured in the school's newspaper, as well as on a website where it was posted, chapter by chapter.

Airi turned her attention to Kaori. "Kao, I'm never letting you out of my sight! Anytime something cool happens with you two, I'm coming along!"

Kaori 'sweat-dropped' at her friends enthusiasm. "Alright, alright, Airi," she said. She looked at Hayate. The Demon had already finished both his burger, and his fries, and was working on downing the soda. "Now, we need to decide what to do with you," she mused.

"Well, naturally, I'm staying with you," Hayate said as he put down the empty soda cup. Kaori and Airi looked at each other wish surprise. Kaori looked back at Hayate and leaned against the table.

"I don't think that's gonna work, Hayate," she said to the Demon. "I mean, my parents would never allow it,"

Hayate leaned back casually. "Well make something up then. I'm sure you'll think of something."

"I've got it!" Airi said, suddenly excited again. She took Kaori by the shoulders and Kaori blinked at her. "We'll tell your parents that you signed up for a foreign exchange program, and that he's the student!"

"What?! They'll never believe that! Besides, where do we say he's from?" Airi asked.

"America!" Airi suddenly declared. She pointed at Hayate. "Look at that rebellious hair! It's white! We'll say he's one of those weird foreigners from America!"

"Hey, my hair's not rebellious. It's naturally like this," Hayate protested, consciously rubbing his white hair.

"Airi, I'll still get in trouble!" Kaori said quickly.

"I'll explain _everything_, Kaori!" Airi declared. She pushed Kaori out of her seat and toward the door. "Come on, let's get everything taken care of now!"

"Airi, wait!" Kaori said as she was shoved out the door. Hayate sat there, confused by everything that had just occurred. He looked around briefly, reached for Airi's unfinished fries, and took one. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, the brown hair girl rushed into the restaurant, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to his feet.

"You're coming too, Hayate!" She said as she dragged him out the door. Both workers, and customers watched them leave, dumbfounded by what had just occurred. Unanimously, within their own minds every person over the age of thirty agreed on the same thing. Teenagers were strange.

After their leave, however, two others, sitting in a booth by a window, stood when they'd left the restaurant. One was middle aged; roughly thirty two, with greying hair slicked back. His brown eyes turned to the boy, no older then twelve, sitting next to him. The boy had bright green hair, spiked up, and eyes to match. He wore a mantle type outfit with a single green leaf decorating the front. A vertical line ran down each cheek, making him look almost like a marionette.

"Looks like they're new at this," The man said in a bit of an undertone. He pulled a leather jacket on over his white polo shirt and black slacks.

"They don't even bother hiding the spell book. Are they stupid? Do they want to be attacked?" The boy asked.

"Maybe they just want their book burned," the man suggested. "Why not give 'em what they want, Daisuke?"

The Demon boy, Daisuke, smiled. He jumped from his chair and walked toward the door, his mantle swooshing behind him. "Let's get going, Nobu," he said. The man, Nobu, smiled and picked up a dark green spell book from the seat next to him and followed the Demon out.

**100 Demons Remaining**


	3. Level 3

**Demon Chronicles**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell! Or any ideas affiliated with it.

**A/N:** Chapter two had a lot of Dialogue, yes, but it was the easiest way for me to write it. It involved a lot of talking. So, here's the next chapter, and I'm pretty sure you can tell what it's about from the last chapter. Please, don't forget to review. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show

SNE121

* * *

**Chapter III**

The plan was simple. Kaori and Airi would enter the house first; explain about their sign up of the 'foreign exchange student' program, and announce that Hayate was from a different part of Japan (they'd realized that they couldn't say he was American because of his obviously Japanese Name). Kaori's parents would more then likely be upset about the entire thing, but after a few days, they'd lighten up. After all, they couldn't just turn him down.

Kaori would probably be grounded for the rest of her life, Ichigo would _murder_ her because assuming Hayate was allowed to stay, he'd have to share a room with her older brother, but she supposed it would be alright. The adventure to come would definitely be worth the entire thing.

"So have we got out story straight?" Airi asked with a smile. She looked so amused, so simple minded about the entire thing. But of course, _she_ wasn't the one explaining to her parents that she'd be bringing a boy she didn't even know home to live with her. Kaori couldn't keep in the groan that escaped her lips. Airi looked at Kaori, her brow furrowed. "Relax, Kao, it'll be fine!" Airi assured her. She turned her attention to Hayate.

"Now, you," she began. "You know what you're doing right?"

"I'm staying quiet," Hayate said with a roll of his eyes. Airi nodded.

"Good. Then we've got the entire thing covered!" she declared proudly. She suddenly giggled. "We've got to tell Kenta and Saki about this!"

Saki was the nickname of the last of their little circle of friends; Sakura Kohaku. Sakura was an _amazing_ chef. She was always making new recipes and asking Kaori, Kenta, and Airi to try them. She had a goal in life to open her own restaurant and write a cook book. She was a year older then the rest of them, but was in the same grade.

"We don't have to tell them anything," Kaori said. "It could be dangerous, Airi. There's ninety nine others like Hayate. What if they try to get involved?"

Airi looked at her friend with a broad smile. "There's my Kaori, always worrying about everyone else," she said. "You'll make an awesome cop one day,"

Kaori rolled her eyes. Airi seemed to enjoy pointing out Kaori's career decision to become a police officer, like her brother was working on. She was already studying for it, and starting next year, she'd join the Youth Police Career program offered by their local station. Ichigo was already going to the academy after school and on weekends. Kaori knew the codes, knew the law, and knew how to shoot a gun. The only problem was her fear of dogs. She could never work with a Canine Unit.

Behind them, a strange tenseness overcame Hayate's muscles. His eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments. He stopped and looked around for several moments, glancing over his shoulder and staring at the empty sidewalk behind them. Kaori and Airi stopped several feet ahead and looked at him over their shoulders.

"Something wrong?" Kaori asked him. Hayate lifted a hand to silence her and turned, facing away form the girls. Kaori turned as well and looked at him. He was opening and closing his fists, standing straight, like a tiger awaiting its prey. Kaori didn't know why, but she felt and intense need to prepare the spell book. She slipped her backpack off and reached into the pack, gripping the book, but not taking it out. She heard Hayate laugh a bit in front of her.

"You've got sharp instincts," he said. "Maybe having you as my partner won't be so bad after all," Airi looked at the two, suddenly uncomfortable. There was something going on that she didn't understand, and that bothered her. "I know you're there," Hayate suddenly called out. "You've been following us for a while now. Don't think I'm stupid," he cracked his knuckles.

"Who are you talking to?" Airi asked. She looked from the Demon, to her friend, frowning. Then, as if led by a gust of wind, a flurry of leaves rushed toward them at an impossible speed. Kaori heard a swishing sound, as if they were cutting through the air, and instantly, her eyes widened.

"Get down!" She shouted. She grabbed Airi and dove to the ground and Hayate followed after. The leaves rushed over them and cut into a mailbox behind them, slicing through the titanium and then through the wooden pole holding it up. The mailbox toppled seconds later. Kaori looked at her, her eyes wide.

The leaves made a clean cut, like a blade made of diamond, through the wood and the metal of the mailbox. If any of those had hit one of them, it would have cut without the slightest resistance. Kaori rose to her feet and took out the spell book as she faced the direction of the attack.

"Clever little girl," a males voice said. Kaori looked around, eyes narrowed in an attempt to find the owner. A few moments later, a man in his early thirties, with graying hair and brown eyes revealed himself from his hiding place behind a wall. He wore a leather jacket, zipped up, black slacks, dress shoes, and in his right hand was a dark green spell book. "How did you know they were dangerous?"

Kaori crossed her arms, pushing the heavy wave of nervousness into the back of her mind. She just got the spell book. She didn't want to battle already. "I could hear them cutting the air," she said with a firm, yet easy-going voice. "If you're going to try to be inconspicuous, use a spell that's less obvious,"

Hayate shot her a look over his shoulder. Kaori was openly challenging this team by saying that. Did she have any idea what she was doing?

"Sounds to me like this girl is challenging us," a child's voice said. A boy emerged shortly speaking. His hair was green, his eyes matching. He wore a simple mantle with a leaf insignia on it, and running down his cheeks from his eyes were two black lines. He looked at Kaori and laughed. "She's a fool,"

Kaori scowled at him. "Who's the fool?" She asked. Her pride began to overcome her logic. "I am challenging you. Are you afraid to rise up and accept it?"

Hayate laughed again. "Yeah, we'll get along just _fine_." He said. "Get ready, Kaori, the adventure is about to start."

Kaori nodded, and beside her Airi's eyes had a sparkle of excitement within them. She produced her cell phone from her pocket and held it sideways. There was a click, and without even asking, Kaori knew she'd just snapped a picture of their opponents. Airi smiled gleefully and slipped the phone into her pocket. "Oh, this is gonna be so cool." She pumped a fist into the air. "Take 'em down, Kao!"

Kaori swallowed a lump in her throat as the nervousness returned to her. "We accept your challenge," the man said with a grin "It's nice to see that you're so ready to lose,"

"You've got it the wrong way around," Hayate said. He held out a fist horizontally in the air. He turned it upside down and extended his thumb. "Get ready for the trip back to the Demon World,"

The green spell book began glowing, and the man flipped the cover open. "Let's do this, Daisuke," he said.

"Give me a spell, Nobu, I'll crush 'em in no time," Daisuke said confidently.

"You're a little too confident for your size, kid," Hayate commented. "Let's get on with this battle already. You don't start, I will," he looked over his shoulder at Kaori and lifted a hand in emphasis. She nodded and opened her book to the only legible page.

"Jikir!" she shouted. Hayate pointed his hand at their opponent and waited. His eyes narrowed a bit when nothing came out. He looked at it, then back at Kaori.

"Put more energy into it," he said to her. Kaori blinked at him.

"How am I supposed to do that?" she asked. "I don't know how I did it the first time!"

Across from them, Nobu and Daisuke laughed; a loud, mocking laugh that brought a tint of red to Kaori's cheeks. "You idiot! Your human has no idea what she's doing!" Daisuke declared. "This'll be easier then I thought." He knelt and placed a hand on the ground. Kaori noticed, at that moment, strange lines that extended down to his fingertips. She looked at them, tilting her head. What were they for?

Then, Nobu cast his spell. "Juron!" he shouted. The lines on the boy's hands began to glow the same color as the spell book; a dark green. The glowing energy faded from the Demon's hand into the ground, leaving a glowing imprint there for several moments. Then, it faded.

Kaori tilted her head. Where was the spell? Her question was answered moments later when a strange rumbling sounded from beneath her. The ground began to shake, then crack, and suddenly, the concrete shattered like glass as a vine rose from the earth. She gasped in surprise and stepped back; the vine wrapped around her ankle tightly and tugged, knocking her off her feet. She clenched the book tightly with her left hand as she fell back and broke her fall with her right. The arm stiffened briefly, then crumpled beneath her. She pulled against the restraint in an attempt to break free, but ultimately failed. She could feel herself beginning to panic. In her hand, the book began glowing.

Instinctively, she called the spell. "Jikir!" she shouted. Hayate turned to face her and ran toward her as wind began to build up in his hand. He clenched it into a fist, holding the energy in place, and then he slammed the fist into the vine with a pained shout. The wind burst free, obliterating the vine where it had hit. The half holding Kaori shrunk and released her, and the remaining portion disappeared into the earth.

Hayate looked at his hand. He'd never held the energy in for so long before; it surprised him that his own spell had the potential to hurt him. There was a redness surrounding his fist and a painful numbness running up the length of the arm. He ignored it and helped his partner to his feet.

"You ok?" he asked. She was a bit shaky and her right hand lay limp at her side. Kaori looked at it. She couldn't feel it at the moment; that happened when she put too much pressure. It would fade within ten minutes, but for now, she had to make due without a hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. The book slowly faded as she calmed her nerves. She stared at it for several moments. What did she do to make the spell work? Hayate answered the question for her.

"Listen to me," he said, facing their opponent. "This is what you've got to do. Focus all of your attention on that book and concentrate on your own energy. Take all the time you need, I'll cover you, ok?"

Kaori gave him a brief nod. She looked at the book, gripping it tightly with her left hand. Then, she closed her eyes. _Concentrate on my energy._ She repeated in her mind. For a while, she didn't feel anything. "Juron!" Nobu shouted. She heard the vine rise up in front of her but kept her eyes closed. Hayate said he'd cover her. She trusted him, for some reason. Sure enough, she felt someone move in front of her and heard a grunt as Hayate grabbed the vine and held it at bay. Then, strange as it may seem, from behind her closed eyelids, she saw a light; a bright yellow light. She opened her eyes and looked down. She could see a faint, yellow aura surrounding her. She took a deep breath.

"I've got it," she said to Hayate. "Now what?"

"Channel the energy…" Hayate began. He was struggling to hold the vine now, "into the spell book."

Kaori concentrated on the energy once again. She willed it away from herself, into the book in her hand. _Come on, come on!_ She urged. At last, she could feel the energy leaving her own body and accumulating into the book. She watched the words begin to shimmer and focused harder. Suddenly the book exploded into a bright yellow light. Kaori laughed triumphantly.

"I've got it!" she said excitedly. Behind her, Airi whooped in glee.

"Yeah, you go, Kao!" she cheered. Kaori didn't understand how the girl could be enjoying herself this much. She pushed the thought aside and instead focused on the task at hand.

"Jikir!" she shouted furiously. Hayate jumped aside and as the vine began to fall on Kaori, he slammed a wind covered fist into it. The energy shot out, destroying the vine. He turned his attention to Daisuke.

"Go!" He said to Kaori as he darted forward. Kaori didn't even hesitate to call the spell once again.

The wind shot from Hayate's fist directly at Daisuke. The younger Demon grinned. "Juroshield!" Nobu shouted. Daisuke slammed his palm into the ground, and in front of him, thick vines rose upward, making a shield.

_They have three of those attacks already._ Kaori thought to herself. _And we've only got one. Maybe this was a mistake. _She watched as Hayate ran around the vines. She waited until she was certain he had a clear shot, then she cast the spell.

"Jikir!" she shouted loud enough for him to hear. There was a surprised shout behind the vines, and then they retreated into the ground. Hayate was standing, fist extended, and Daisuke and Nobu were lying on the ground. Kaori couldn't help but smile. They'd landed a hit. Hayate stepped forward and grabbed the book from the floor where Nobu dropped it. He held it up, examining it.

"Put that down!" Daisuke suddenly shouted. He was back on his feet and he jumped at Hayate. The older Demon shot him an annoyed look and held out his free hand, grabbing Daisuke by the front of his shirt.

"Put it down?" he asked with a smirk. "Fine then." He dropped the book and looked at Kaori. "Cast the spell again,"

"But we've already won," Kaori protested. She didn't see the point in adding insult to injury.

"No we haven't," Hayate said in return. "We've got one more thing to do. Don't question, Kaori, just do it,"

Kaori glanced at Airi. The brown haired girl looked just as uncertain as she did. Kaori frowned and looked back at Hayate. She pulled back some of the energy, giving just enough to keep the book glowing, and again, she cast the spell.

"Jikir," she said quietly. Hayate pointed the palm of his hand at the book on the floor and the beam of wind hit it.

"No!" Daisuke shrieked. Brown flames sprouted from the book and quickly began to overtake the cover. Hayate dropped the boy, who crawled toward his book and began patting it in a desperate attempt to stop the fire.

Kaori's eyes widened to see the boy beginning to disappear before her eyes. He was shimming, almost angelically, but slowly, he became transparent. He was panicking, futilely trying to extinguish the flames and burning his own hands in the process. Nobu watched eyes wide. Hayate stood over Daisuke with his arms cross.

"Game over, kid," Hayate said to him. Daisuke looked up at him tearfully, and then with a cry of rage, he vanished as if he were never there. The only indication that the child had even existed was the small pile of ashes in the shape of a book on the floor. Hayate turned his attention to Nobu, his eyes threatening, dangerous. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get lost."

The man didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and ran. Hayate walked away from the scene, stepping over the ashes as he approached his book owner. Kaori's eyes were wide with shock, and honestly, a bit of fear and remorse. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"What the hell just happened to him…?" Airi asked for her.

"I burned his spell book," Hayate answered. "It's the only way to win; burning the spell books."

"Is he…" Kaori stopped, hesitant to say the word. "Dead?" she said at last. Hayate shook his head.

"Doubt it," he said. "Losers are sent back home, according to the rules. Don't know what happens to them there though," He looked at Kaori with a serious expression, eyes narrowed slightly. "I told you, Kaori, this is a battle royale. Our goal is to eliminate our competition. The last one standing wins."

Kaori closed the spell book. Battle Royale. She gazed at the bright cover for several moments. This is what kept him here. "And you want to win?" Hayate nodded. Kaori looked at him, took a deep breath, and put the book back into her backpack. "Well then, prove it to me," she said. "I'll keep this book safe, Hayate, but you've got to prove that you _deserve_ to win. If you don't…" she slipped the backpack onto her shoulders and turned away. She looked at Hayate over her shoulder. "Then at the last battle, I'm burning this book to let someone else win,"

Hayate looked at her, dumbfounded. He looked at Airi. "She's not-"

"Being serious?" Airi interrupted. Her excited expression was gone. "Yeah, she is." She walked toward Hayate and flicked his forehead. "So you'd better show her you deserve this, because if you don't, she'll lead you on to the end, and then, when you're facing that last opponent, she'll get rid of that book." Hayate stared at Airi. "Kaori's a nice girl, Hayate. She really is. But she has a strong sense of…. I'm going to say justice for lack of a better word. She can be really cruel in that sense," She smiled softly. "It shouldn't be too hard for you though. You seem like a nice guy."

Then, she followed Kaori. "Come on," She said without looking back. "we've got some explaining to do," Hayate hesitated. This whole idea suddenly frightened him. Prove he deserved this? How was he supposed to do that? He took a deep breath and followed. It was something he'd have to worry about later.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, the battle was short, I know, but it was just a little practice. A skirmish you could say. So there it is, chapter three completed in all it's glory. Be sure to read and review, ladies and gentlemen.

SNE121


	4. Level 4

****

Demon Chronicles

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell! Or any ideas affiliated with it.

**A/N:** Time skip! Yeah, it's merely a result of my own laziness and lack of inspiration to write a conversation with the parents. So this is a nice little skip. I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far, and that you continue enjoying it throughout its lifetime! This is a satisfyingly long chapter! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've had quite a few hits, but I'm lacking in reviews, so please, whether you enjoy the story or not, review and tell me what you think! Thank you!

SNE121

* * *

**Chapter IV**

Two weeks later. Two weeks after meeting Hayate, having that conversation with Kaori's parents, and becoming a book owner of a Demon participating in a battle no one knew existed. Hayate had been permitted to stay with them as a part of the nonexistent 'Foreign Exchange Program', without question, as an exchange student from another part of Japan. He was sharing a room with her older brother and went to school with them. No one knew he was a Demon except Airi and Kaori. Naturally, Airi had spent her time writing about the battle, going so far as to make it much more dramatic then it really was, and would soon give the story to Kenta to draw out. It was all a bit much for such a miniscule occurrence, to be honest.

But now wasn't the time to be concerned with things like that. It was finally Friday after a long, boring week of school and Hayate and Kaori were in their final class of the day. Luckily, Hayate, though a year older, had been put in all the same classes as Kaori to get him used to the changing Block schedule. It was a Physical Education class today, and Airi, Kenta, and Sakura were in the class with them. Kaori stood near the back of the groups of students, standing in their PE uniforms, Hayate right beside her. Airi was closer to the center, and Sakura was toward the front right corner, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Kenta was on the left side with his arms crossed The four of them had been separated due to their chronic talking during lectures. But the distance never stopped them.

Sakura Kohaku, while close friends with Kaori and Airi, had a much different style. She was very bold, and known as a bit of a rebel amongst her peers. Her eyes were a different color every month; a result of color changing contacts, and at the moment, they were light violet. Her hair was cut short, almost boy cut, and was dyed a bold bright purple color with electric blue highlights. Her style was more punkish then the rest of them, but it suited her perfectly. She had a particularly girly voice despite her appearance, but at the same time, it was strong and demanding.

Kenta Takehiro was a fairly attractive boy; sporting jet black hair in contrast to naturally silver-grey eyes. Like Airi, he was athletic and in fact was on the boy's soccer team. He had a darker style and typically wore dark clothing when not in uniform. His voice was strong and low, knowledgeable. It was the kind of voice that demanded the attention of everyone around him without even trying, mainly because he never spoke unless he had something important to say. At the moment, Kenta was looking across the line of students at Airi, who was sending him a silent message using a code that they'd established as young children. It was so complex, not even Kaori understood it.

Sakura was tapping her nails idly on the floor. It wasn't very loud, but their teacher, Mr. Oshiro, was a very uptight man. He was in his forties, divorced, and despised teenagers. He was known by his students as 'The Dragon Man', because of his quick temper. Hearing Sakura's fingers tapping, he promptly dropped the basketball he was holding and turned his attention to Sakura.

"Kohaku!" he snapped. Sakura, as well as the rest of the class, jumped at his sudden outburst. Sakura looked at the man and blinked. "This is a Physical Education Class. That means that you _don't_ sit down. You do that enough in your other classes. Now, get up!"

Sakura tilted her head. "But I'm comfortable," she pointed out. "Besides, it's not as if we're doing anything important. You're explaining how to throw a basketball; I'm pretty sure all of us know how to do that," The Dragon Man's eye twitched in annoyance. Hayate coughed in the back and Oshiro turned his attention to him.

"What was that, Uzuki? Do you have something to say?" he snapped. Since Hayate had transferred to this school, Being much more athletic and definitely stronger then the other boys, Hayate was wanted amongst many of the sports teams, and after besting Oshiro in a demonstration wrestling match earlier (Oshiro had assumed that since he was new, he'd be easy to beat) Oshiro seemed bent of getting him into trouble any chance he got. Hayate looked at him with a raised brow.

"Hey, relax," he said calmly with a shrug. "I coughed… didn't know that wasn't allowed."

"And now you're being a smart ass?" Oshiro asked. He walked forward, students moving out of his way, and approached Hayate. He stood directly in front of the boy, standing about an inch taller, and looked down at him. "Maybe I should send you to run a few laps around that track. Maybe that'll set you straight,"

Now, the entire class was watching the two. Hayate's hand was twitching at his side, slowly clenching into a fist. If there was one thing the Demon couldn't stand, it was being yelled at, especially by a lowly human. Oshiro lowered his head a bit, placing his face inches from Hayate's. "Are you listening, Uzuki? Do you even care?"

"No, not really. In fact, I could care less about anything in this damn school. Not like I'm gonna be here too long anyway. Now get out of my face before I knock your head off your neck," Hayate thought of saying. He even opened his mouth to do it, but Kaori stepped in.

"Mr. Oshiro," she said calmly. She stepped between the two, pushing Hayate back a bit. "Ever since he came, you've been at his throat. Give him a break," She glanced at Hayate, signaling for him to calm down, and his clenched fist loosened slowly.

Oshiro's eyes narrowed at her darkly, but she kept her ground. "You think that just because he's new he deserves 'special treatment'?" Oshiro asked. He pointed to the track. "Well, Sato, why don't you go and join him on the track? Both of you, I want to see you running all period!"

Kaori stared at him for several moments, and, she turned away and jogged toward the track. "Come on, Hayate," she said to her Demon. Hayate stared at Oshiro for several moments and followed.

Hayate caught up with her with ease and slowed his pace to a light trot to match hers. "You didn't have to defend me, you know," he said to his partner. Kaori didn't look at him.

"He had no reason to be yelling at you," she said. "The Dragon Man needs to get a new hobby."

"But you got in trouble," Hayate pointed out. Kaori shrugged.

"No worries. Happens all the time," she said. Then, she looked at him. "You know, we haven't seen any Demons lately,"

Hayate glanced at her. "Well, that's a good thing, right? We're not prepared for another battle. The last one we fought was pure luck,"

"Then maybe we should start preparing, then, huh?" Kaori suggested. Hayate slowed down to a stop. She ran several paces ahead and then stopped as well, turning to face the Demon. "That other Demon, Daisuke or whatever his name was, he had three spells from what I could see. We've only got one,"

From the gym door, they heard Oshiro yelling for them to keep running. Kaori rolled her eyes and turned back around to continue. Hayate caught up with her once again. "Well, to get more spells, we need to train," he explained. "Practice, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kaori answered. "I know a place we can go. Just outside the city, there's a forest. We can train there. Starting today, if you want," Hayate hesitated. She had told him to prove he deserved the title for king. How was he supposed to prove that? Hard work and dedication? He decided that was the best way.

"Let's do it," he decided.

(--)

Later that day, Kaori asked her brother, Ichigo to take them to the forest. The excuse: hiking. Airi had heard of their little training plan and wanted to come along, but soccer practice prevented so.

"Make sure you're home before dark," Ichigo had said firmly to his sister. Then, to Hayate, he added, "And you, make sure nothing happens to my sister, got it?" He glanced at his watch. "Alright, I've got to go to the Academy. See you at home, Kao," Then, he drove away.

Now, Kaori and Hayate were at their training spot, after hiking for about thirty minutes. It was a camp ground; a large empty space with trees surrounding. Running along the south end was a small stream that about half a mile up branched onto a much larger river. Hayate examined the area with interest.

"This is a training ground, then?" he asked.

"No," Kaori said. She couldn't hold back her smile. Considering his age, there was certainly a lot Hayate didn't know. "It's a camp ground. People come here with tents to spend the weekend, sometimes longer. It's a nice way to connect with nature,"

"Connect with nature, huh?" Hayate repeated. "So I'm assuming that the animals talk here then too?" He spoke with such a serious tone; Kaori wasn't sure how to respond.

"Uhm… no…" she said. She decided to just leave it at that. It didn't need an explanation, did it? She slid her backpack off of her shoulders and reached inside for the spell book. She hadn't really touched it since that first battle. Hadn't opened it, hadn't thought about it, nothing. But she always kept it with her. She was growing accustomed to the weight of it. "Alright, let's start. You're the Demon, what do I need to focus on the most?"

Hayate frowned a bit as he considered. She most definitely needed to be able to defend herself. And she needed to be quick on her feet. But the most important thing was her heart energy. This entire battle centered around heart energy: it decided the spells they got, as well as how many, and how long they could last in battle. But what good was having an abundance of heart energy if she wasn't quick enough to avoid attacks? The book would surely burn. That in mind, Hayate made his decision.

"Reflexes," he said. "Reflexes and focus." Kaori looked at him, arms crossed, waiting for some sort of elaboration. "Let's say the opponent makes a sneak attack at you. If we can hear the opponent before they strike, then battles will be easier,"

Kaori nodded. "Alright, easy enough," she said. She smiled and put the book back in her bag and put it on the floor. She stretched her arms out and cracked her knuckles. Then, she shifted into a boxing stance her brother had taught her. Hayate gazed at her quizzically. "Spar," she explained. "It's the best thing I can think of, to be honest. It'll increase _both_ of our reflexes, as well as our close combat ability." She raised a brow and smirked. "You _can_ fight, can't you?"

Hayate blinked at her. "Well, yeah," he said. "But, I normally wouldn't fight with a girl that's weaker…" before he could finish, Kaori rushed at him and threw a surprisingly powerful kick at his neck. Hayate reacted just as quickly and blocked with his right forearm. Kaori's left foot slammed into it and held.

"Weaker? I'm sorry?" She grinned. "You really shouldn't judge your opponent before you know their skills. Now, unless you want to get your ass kicked by a girl, I'd suggest that you take me more seriously and fight back," She lowered her foot and stepped back. "Don't worry. No one will know. And I'm letting you, so it's fine,"

Hayate lowered his arm and looked at it. The skin was a bright red where she'd kicked it. Kaori didn't even play sports. Sure, she exercised often, but to have such powerful leg muscles? He found himself wondering how strong Airi's kicks were, being a soccer player. "Fight your hardest, Hayate," Kaori said firmly. That said, she charged again.

A fist shot at Hayate's face and the Demon twisted to the left to avoid the blow. Kaori spun the opposite direction and shot her right elbow at Hayate's ribs. Hayate took the hit and staggered. Kaori finished the turn and with her left hand, she swung again. Hayate looked just in time and lifted his left hand to catch hers, stopping it mid-strike.

"You're pretty good," Hayate commented. He was struggling to hold back her fist, and at last, he jumped back and let her follow through with her punch. Kaori staggered forward several steps with a surprised gasp, and when she'd regained her balance and looked up, Hayate was gone. She smiled a bit.

"I've had some practice," she called into the trees. She didn't know _where_ he was, but she was certain he could hear her. By practice, she was referring to what her brother had taught her after his boxing karate classes. By his lessons, she had the abilities of a brown belt at least. Her brother, on the other hand, was a third degree black belt. She closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings. She could hear the water running nearby, birds singing joyously in the tree, and then, footsteps. She grinned and opened her eyes. She thought he'd be much stealthier then that. She heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind and turned, ready to defend.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. Instead of Hayate, an enormous black creature was only a few feet away. It was running on all fours, and even then, it was taller then Kaori. She opened her mouth to scream, but before a sound could escape, an enormous furry hand closed around her mouth, gripping her jaw tightly, and forced her back. She felt her feet rise off the ground, then reconnect with her back slammed painfully into a nearby tree. The wind was knocked out of her, and her eyes widened in surprise.

The hand released her jaw briefly and she staggered forward, dazed. Then, it closed around her throat and pushed her once again against the bark. She lifted her chin in an attempt to clear her airway, but the creature had such a tight grip, it was useless. She looked down at the creatures legs; they were covered with black fur and paws were in place of feet. Her eyes travelled upward, seeing a long black tail, large muscular arms, a muscular body, and finally, it's face. Bright red eyes gazed at her from beyond a long snout filled with razor sharp teeth. Pointed ears were standing erect upon its ears. Her eyes widened, suddenly stuck with fear when she realized what held her.

It was an enormous canine. A werewolf, it seemed. Adrenaline overtook her muscles and she suddenly began kicking, punching the creature's arm in an attempt to escape. The grip tightened around her neck and she felt claws meet behind her neck. "The Demon," the wolf creature snarled. "Where is the Demon?"

Then, she understood. A Demon! This thing was a Demon! To think they looked like this. Kaori began wondering if these creatures were the basis of the werewolf myths. It snarled dangerously at her when she didn't answer, exposing its enormous, razor sharp teeth. It leaned forward, its snout inches from her face. "_Where!_" It barked furiously.

Kaori couldn't answer. Black spots began to cloud her vision. She felt as if her windpipe was being crushed. The creature snarled again and pulled her off the tree. It threw her roughly to the ground. She fell, catching herself with her forearms, and gasped gratefully for air, coughing furiously as she started crawling away. She turned to look at the werewolf creature. It was on all fours, tail erect, crouched to strike. Saliva dripped slowly to the ground beneath its mouth. Then, it lunged at her. Kaori screamed and threw up her arms to defend herself. She knew it wouldn't do any good. This thing was going to kill her. She was going to die. There was the horrible sound of teeth tearing into flesh and scraping bone, and an agonized scream. But it wasn't Kaori's.

The girl opened her eyes and lowered her arms. Hayate stood before her, the same arm he'd used to defend against her kick raised, caught between the wolf's jaws. Blood was dripping from the wounds, between the monsters teeth, into its mouth and onto the floor. He turned his head, obviously in pain, to face Kaori. Kaori sat helplessly on the ground, shaking.

"Are you ok?" he asked through gritted teeth. His own blood dotted his face. Kaori nodded her response. "Good," Hayate said. He suddenly looked relieved, content despite the terrible pain. He nodded toward the backpack on the floor nearby. "Get that. You know what to do,"

Kaori understood instantly. She scrambled to her feet and half crawling, made her way to her backpack. She opened it for the second time that day and extracted the spell book. The wolf's eyes widened upon seeing it. It seemed to realize who this new boy was, and immediately, it lifted a paw large enough to break Hayate's back, preparing to strike.

The book started glowing and without even opening it, Kaori cast the spell. "Jikir!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Hayate move quicker then the wolf could. He thrust his palm into the creature's face as the wind beam shot forth. The wolf released him and howled in pain as it staggered back from the force of the blow. Hayate stepped back clumsily, his right arm limp and bleeding profusely at his side. Kaori swallowed the lump forming in her throat nervously. Of all the creatures, why did they have to face a canine?

The wolf recovered and rose to its feet, looking dangerously at Hayate "You are the Demon," it pointed out. Hayate kept his comments to himself. His breathing was a bit heavier then usual, as if he'd run a lap around the track without stopping, due to the pain. The wolf stepped back, grinning madly. Kaori gathered up her courage and approached Hayate cautiously.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Hayate didn't look at her, but nodded. Kaori knew instantly he was lying. He was biting his lip lightly, breathing deeply through his nose.

"A battle," the wolf said. Then, it laughed, a dangerous, hyena-like laugh as it began to circle them on all fours. "A battle. I'll kill you both and then burn the book. A bit of meat is always a delicacy. Especially that of a human," It stared at Kaori hungrily as it snapped its jaws. Kaori held the book close and inched closer to Hayate. The white haired boy watched the black wolf carefully.

"You're not laying another paw on her," he said firmly. "I'm your opponent. Leave her out of it," The wolf laughed again, then, with its mouth still open and dripping saliva, it spoke.

"The girl is your partner. She is your other half. She will meet the same fate as you when our little battle is finished," it said. It was at that moment that Kaori noticed that when it spoke, it's mouth didn't move. It seemed to speak telepathically. Kaori felt herself shaking uncontrollably. In her arms, the book began glowing again.

"Jikir!" She shouted. Hayate lifted his hand and shot the spell at the wolf. It hit the creature square in the chest and sent it sprawling onto its side with a howl of pain, followed by a laugh. Kaori didn't wait to see it rise to its feet. She grabbed Hayate's good arm and ran.

"Oh, a runner!" She heard the wolf say from the clearing behind. It was followed by yet another laugh. "This will be delightful! The hunt is the best part."

In the shadows, another team watched, hidden. One was a girl, older then Kaori, with long hair and piercing green eyes. The other was a boy, Hayate's age, with short hair and bright red eyes. They watched Kaori drag her Demon away, only to be pursued a few minutes later by the wolf.

"They're running," The girl said calmly. "Should we intervene?"

"If it looks like they need help, we'll do so," the boy responded. He had a calm voice, but seemed unsettled. "For now, we'll observe. I want to see how far the idiot's gotten," The girl scoffed.

"By the looks of it, not far," she said. "I can't help but feel that this entire thing was our fault. It was our energy that Demon was sensing."

"Calm down," the boy said. "Like I said, if they seem to be troubled, we'll intervene," He started off in the direction the others went and the girl followed without another word.

(--)

Kaori didn't stop running for ten minutes, despite the burning sensation in her chest. When they finally _did_ stop, she didn't catch her breath. She got right to work. She put the book in her mouth as she tore the long sleeve of her shirt off and ripped it open, giving it more length. She took Hayate's injured arm carefully and examined it. They'd have to go to the hospital, but for now, the best thing she could do was wrap it up; tightly. He hissed as wrapped the cloth around the wound tightly, holding one end with her teeth. When she was through, she tied it in a tight not. "There," she said breathlessly. "That should slow down the bleeding until we can get out of here,"

"Thanks," Hayate said, just as tiredly. He looked at his useless arm in distaste and gingerly flexed his fingers. Good. They still moved. "Are you ok? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"I already told you, no," Kaori said. She looked at him in worry. "I should be asking you though. Look at you! You didn't have to do that!"

"Yes I did," Hayate said, looking away. Kaori shook her head quickly.

"No, I…"

"Don't tell me you had it covered because you didn't." Hayate interrupted. "That thing would have killed you if I hadn't intervened. I couldn't let that happen. No matter what, you can't die." Kaori looked at him, surprised by the statement. He looked away. "If you die because of this battle," Hayate continued. He lifted his eyes to look at her. "I'd never forgive myself. It would be my fault. I couldn't live with that," He looked so serious, Kaori once again, was at a loss for words. "That's why, no matter what happens to me, I'm not letting you die. Even if it costs my life,"

Finally, Kaori smiled. She even laughed a bit as she stepped forward and hugged Hayate tightly. "You idiot," she said into his chest. She wouldn't look at him, hiding her worried tears. "Don't say such stupid things,"

The book in her hand began glowing suddenly, intensely bright. She pulled away and looked at it in surprise. "What's…?"

"It's a new spell," Hayate interrupted. He grinned. "What perfect timing. Open it, Kaori, what does it say?"

Before Kaori could even open the spell book, a thick beam of dark energy slammed into her left side. She cried out in surprise as the beam sent her staggering to the side and eventually, to the floor. She gripped her side tightly, teeth clenched in pain. "Kaori!" Hayate exclaimed, shocked. He rushed toward her to help her up only to be knocked away by another beam of energy. He was knocked away, onto his injured arm, and the weight upon it sent a spasm of pain through him. He bit his lip to hold back the scream and made his way to his feet as the wolf reappeared. Kaori stood as well, breathing heavily.

"Found you!" the wolf said proudly. This time, though, it wasn't alone. A teenage boy, several years older then Kaori, was sitting upon the Demon's back, holding a jet black spell book in hand. He had blond hair and blue eyes somewhere between sky blue and steel blue. He was muscular, the sport playing type. Kaori estimated he was about nineteen.

"This is too easy," the boy said. "I thought you said it was a stronger opponent, Kuro. This set couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag!"

Kuro. So that was the wolf's name. Not that it mattered. Kaori gripped the book tightly, waiting. "We'll pick 'em off like flies, Kazuo," Kuro said. "The weaker they are, the better for us,"

The human identified as Kazuo jumped of his Demon's back and looked at Kaori with a raised brow. "Hey, she's pretty cute," he observed. He walked toward her and she stepped back nervously. He lifted a hand to her face and lightly placed it under her chin. "So, babe, how many spells do you have?"

Kaori slapped his hand away with the back of her own and lifted the glowing book dangerously. "How about I show you?" she snarled.

"Ooh, she's a feisty one," Kazuo said. His eyes shimmered mischievously. He reached out and took hold of Kaori's upper arm. "I like a fighter. Tell ya what babe, how about you come with me for a night and we'll forget all about this little battle?"

Kaori couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her lips. No, she wasn't amused. She was absolutely furious. Still smiling, she put a gently hand on Kazuo's, taking it lightly in her own. "You like fighters, huh?" she asked sweetly. Then, she grabbed his wrist and twisted as hard as she could. Kazuo shouted from the sudden pain and released her. "Is this enough _fight_ for you," She hissed through her teeth. Kazuo snarled and pulled free, then, with the same hand, he backhanded Kaori across the face.

Hayate stepped in immediately, throwing a hard, furious punch at Kazuo's face. "Jikir!" Kaori suddenly shouted. Hayate thrust the same hand against Kazuo's stomach and unleashed the spell. The boy coughed and was forced back to his Demon. "Jikir!" She shouted again. Hayate aimed at Kuro this time.

Kazuo answered with a spell of his own from the glowing book. "Kuruga!" He shouted. The black energy beam shot from Kuro's mouth at Hayate's attack. The two spells collided in mid air and cancelled each other out with a swirl of wind. Hayate dashed forward as Kuro did and at the same time, both humans cast the spells again.

"Jikir!"

"Kuruga!"

The spells shot at each other again, from a much closer range. Again, they cancelled each other out.

"Jikir!" Kaori shouted quickly. Hayate jabbed his fist forward as the wind accumulated around it.

"Kuroruk!" Kazuo shouted.

A maroon light surrounded Kuro suddenly, and Hayate's spell was stopped upon hitting it. The white haired boy jumped back quickly and waited, unsure of what this new spell did. The light faded, and now, a dark red armor one would see on a war horse covered Kuro. On the chest plate was a black swirl, carved into the thick metal. "Kuruga!" Kazuo shouted again.

A beam, larger then before, shot out of Kuro's mouth. Kaori responded with a spell of her own.

"Jikir!" she shouted. She wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a try. Kuro's attack easily overcame Hayate's, obliterating it as if it were a simple breeze. Hayate rolled aside in time to avoid it as Kaori turned to the second spell.

"Ora Jikiru!" she shouted. Hayate shot a beam first from his left arm, directly at Kuro, and then, with a cry of pain, from his injured arm at Kazuo. Kuro took hold of Kazuo and jumped out of the way quickly, easily avoiding the spell. Kaori suddenly felt drained. Her eyes widened as he legs gave out beneath her and she fell to her knees. She was barely able to hold herself up.

Kazuo suddenly smiled. "Duko Kiba!" He shouted. Kuro's fangs suddenly dripped with a green liquid and he rushed at Hayate. Hayate jumped to the side, but the wolf's fangs scraped his upper arm, cutting it. A sudden agonizing sensation filled his as his muscles tightened, and with a shout, he gripped his arm, then fell. He tried to move, and his eyes widened when he realized that he couldn't. The wolf turned to Kaori, fangs still dripping with the paralysis poison. He lunged at the girl with a roar.

"Firuzor!" a female's voice shouted. Suddenly, a boy, the same age as Hayate, appeared in front of Kaori, flames engulfing his legs. He threw a hard kick at Kuro, hitting the wolf hard in the head, and the demon was sent flying to the side. A tail of flames followed the newcomers off as he spun with the kick, eventually stopping, facing Kaori. His eyes were a piercing red color, his hair short and brown. He was the same age as Hayate, without a doubt. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, then, he disappeared.

Kaori's eyes widened. She turned toward Kuro, who was barely standing from the first blow when the newcomer appeared before him again, this time above. Kaori gazed at the boy's face as he slammed his heel onto the wolf's head. The sheer force of the kick knocked the creature's jaw into the ground and a crater formed around it. Throughout it all, the boy's face was calm, as if nothing were happening.

Then, Kaori noticed a shadow over her. She looked up at a girl, probably eighteen, standing there. Her red hair extended down to her waist, and her bright emerald eyes were too green to be real. Her skin was pale beneath her bangs, and like the Demon, she looked calm and collected. She looked down at Kaori. "You'll be alright. You've used too much energy is all. Let us finish this,"

Kaori could only nod. The dark red spell book in the girl's hand glowed brighter as she flipped a page. "Rosces, you know what to do!" she called to her Demon. The boy, identified as Rosces, gave a brief nod and suddenly darted toward the human. Kazuo watched him for several moments, eyes wide. When he was within range, she called the spell. "Arcad!"

The fire around Rosces' legs disappeared and were replaced by a spiraling flame in one hand. He thrust his fist at the book in Kazuo's hand and the spiraling beam of fire slammed into it. It didn't last more then three seconds before it was completely reduced to ash. Kuro disappeared, leaving Kazuo, staggering away from Rosces in absolute fear.

Rosces only had to look at the boy to convince him to leave. Kazuo, shaking and ghost white, turned and ran from the scene, screaming. Rosces straightened up and turned to the others. From his hand, a plume of smoke rose. He blew it away and dusted off his palm on his jeans as he approached Hayate.

Kaori turned her attention to her own demon. Now that Kuro was gone, the paralysis had faded, and Hayate stood once again. With a smile. Rosces extended a hand, and smiling in return, Hayate took it. Kaori looked up as the girl helped her to her feet, and after a few seconds of support, she found that she could stand on her own. She stepped away from the girl with the red book nervously.

"Who are you?" Kaori asked at last. The red haired girl smiled lightly.

"My name is Xiora Dyre," she answered. She laughed a bit and patted some dust off of Kaori's clothing. "And it looks to me as if you've got a lot to learn, kid,"

**98 Demons Remaining**

**A/N:** So there it was! Yes, I brought her into this story! She was my first Demon Team, how could I not? So this is a nice, long chapter. I'm actually very proud of the result. Please, don't forget to review, ladies and gentlemen!


	5. Level 5

**A/N:** Phew… it's been a while since I've updated this thing, huh? The main reason for that is because I've been neglecting it… I'm sorry! I've been so busy writing my One Piece fanfiction, **Pirates!** That this one just… didn't occur to me during that time… But while I've mentioned it, you should really check it out (as well as my other fanfictions). On another note… I'll do my best to try and get more updates for this story, promise!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Konjiki no Gash Bell!

**

* * *

**

Chapter V

The hospital, like all hospitals, was white. White walls, white floors, white coats. Kaori didn't enjoy hospitals. The smell made her uncomfortable, as did the general feeling of the place. She felt that by entering, she would never leave again.

Hayate, at the current moment, was in a room, getting stitches due to the wound the werewolf demon Kuro had left on his right forearm. It would be his first time in a human world hospital, and although the general structure was similar in the Demon World (as he'd expained), the technology wasn't as sophisticated. He was uncomfortable with the fact that they were going to sew the holes in his arm together with a needle and string.

What surprised Kaori even more was Hayate's friendliness to this new Demon, Rosces, his name was. His general attitude toward other Demons was more often then not an extreme distaste. It was as if the two were close friends. Kaori was fairly certain that if he hadn't passed out from blood loss after that battle, he and Rosces would have been talking all the way to the hospital. The two had in fact exchanged a few words before Hayate was pushed into the O.R.

Now, Kaori was sitting on the purple chairs in the white waiting room, staring blankly out the window to the street eight floors below. There was a cup of steaming coffee on the end table beside her, but she paid it no attention.

Rosces was sitting rather comfortably on the longer purple couch placed beside a small coffee table. He was looking at one of the magazines that the hospitals supplied to keep worried family and friends busy with apparent interest. His dark red jacket had been removed in the warmth of the hospital room and now revealed a black t-shirt with a red flame design. The girl from before, Xiora, was sitting with her legs crossed. Her black jacket was held tightly around her and Kaori could tell just by looking at her that Xiora was much more uncomfortable as Kaori was.

"Don't like hospitals…?" Kaori asked at last after about a half an hour of silence. She hadn't said a word to the girl while she'd driven them all to the hospital in the hot-wired car, or even when they were being admitted. In fact, she hadn't said much of anything after the girl introduced her. This was the first thing she'd said since the forest.

"No," Xiora answered. "I spent a lot of time in them while I was little."

This perked Kaori's interest. "Why?" she asked before she could stop herself. She instantly covered her mouth. It was none of her business after all.

Xiora smiled lightly at Kaori. "My mother had Cancer," she explained. "She died about a year ago, so I've been on my own,"

"What about your dad?" Kaori asked. Again she covered her mouth. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"MIA," Xiora said calmly. Kaori frowned and looked away, back out the window to the city below. Missing in Action. He must have been in the army.

"Oh…" she muttered. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked,"

Xiora shrugged. "No big deal." She said. She crossed her legs and leaned back comfortably. "So, Sato, was it?" a brief nod of confirmation followed. "Guess I should apologize for getting you involved in that whole battle, huh?"

Kaori's brow furrowed in confusion and she instinctively took hold of her backpack, which still held the yellow spell book. "What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"Calm down," Rosces said, speaking to Kaori directly for the first time since their meeting. "It was _our_ energy that Demon was sensing in the forest, not yours. It was attracted to the strength. Some Demons hunt for others for the thrill of the fight,"

Kaori loosened her grip on the backpack and positioned herself comfortably in her chair once again. "What level are you guys on, then?" she asked.

"We've got four spells," Rosces answered. Kaori's eyes widened in surprise. Four? Already? But then again, she expected that these two had been together longer then two weeks. All she could say in response to their answer was a light, "Wow…"

Kaori was about to ask what Rosces' relationship with Hayate was, but before she could even say anything on that particular topic, a girl, with brown hair tied in a ponytail, ran by them. Kaori blinked, surprised, and watched as the girl skidded to a stop halfway down the hallway to the right, turn, and run back. Again, the girl skidded to a stop, this time directly in front of Kaori, and grabbed the girl by the wrists and pulled her to her feet. She was wearing tennis shoes, and their school's soccer jersey, with a large number nine printed on the front beneath the girl's last name, 'Kyouma'.

"A-Airi…?" Kaori muttered a bit uncertainly as the girl made a quick examination. Airi ignored her, tilting Kaori's chin to the side and examining her face.

"Are you hurt, Kaori? Man, I knew I should have gone with you!" Airi said angrily.

"No, I'm not hurt, I'm –ow!" Kaori hissed, as Airi's hands had moved to examine her ribs. "Hey, that hurt!"

"Aha! So you _are_ hurt!" Airi exclaimed, lifting her index finger into the air. "You should be getting an x-ray! They could be broken!" she hurriedly turned to face the counter nearby. "Excuse me! I want to get my friend here into a room! She needs an x-ray!"

"Hey, Airi, stop it," Kaori said a bit hesitantly as she stood and placed a hand on Airi's shoulder. She made a gesture to the nurse who had stood to approach behind the counter, and the nurse sat back down at her desk. "I'm fine, relax…" she continued to her friend.

Airi turned on her and stepped forward, causing Kaori to take a hesitant step back. "Oh, and how do you know?" she asked harshly.

"Because I checked her before we got here," Xiora said calmly. While Airi and Kaori were conversing, after a few moments of watching in mild interest, Xiora had stood and approached them. Now, she was standing directly behind Airi with Rosces beside her. Airi looked over her shoulder at the girl and blinked.

"Who are you?" she asked. Then, she turned to Kaori. "Who is she?"

"My name is Xiora," Xiora said with a smile. "Please, relax, okay? Sato is just fine. Her ribs are a little bruised, but she'll live. The reason we're here is for Uzuki,"

Airi's eyes widened at the mention of Hayate. She turned back to Kaori. "Oh god, Hayate! Is he ok? Where is he?" she asked in a panic. Kaori put her hands on her friend's shoulders firmly.

"Airi, _breathe_!" she said. "Just relax. Jeeze, you're more worried about this then we are. He's getting stitches right now,"

Airi heaved a frustrated sigh and sat in the chair Kaori was in moments before. She grabbed the girls coffee and took a sip to calm her nerves. "So, tell me exactly what happened, okay?"

Kaori heaved a sigh and leaned against the large window. "No big deal. We got into a battle, it ended, everything's _fine_,"

"No, everything's not _fine_," Airi protested. "You guys are at the hospital! That's never fine!"

Rosces rolled his eyes at the girl's constant nagging. He was about to step in and _make_ her shut up when Hayate appeared. His arm was bandaged and placed in a sling to keep him from moving it, and he looked rather uncomfortable at the moment. He couldn't understand why he needed stitches when he'd heal within a day. There was a doctor standing behind him, several inches taller, with a hand on his shoulder. The man's hair and eyes were black, and he was smiling lightly, confidently, and rather amused at the entire situation.

"Oi, Airi, if she says it's fine, it's fine," he said at last. At once, all eyes turned their attention to the Demon. Hayate averted his eyes rather uncomfortably.

"It's exactly as he says," the doctor said. "Uzuki will be just fine. We didn't need stitches after all; instead, we used a medical glue to attach the torn skin together. When it heals, which should be in a few days, he can just wash it off,"

Kaori heaved a relieved sigh. So they wouldn't have to come back, that was good. "Thanks, doctor," she said with a smile. "Hayate, let's get out of here, yeah?"

Hayate flashed her a relieved smile. After a quick thanks to the doctor, the group was back in the elevator and on their way out of the hospital.

(--)

About an hour later Kaori, Airi, and Hayate walked home from the hospital to an empty house; her father and mother were at work and didn't get home until eleven, Ichigo wasn't out of his class until eight, and Hikari at a friends house. Airi sat cross-legged on Kaori's bed dressed in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt she'd borrowed after taking a shower. Hayate was seated at the desk, fidgeting with a pencil with his good hand, and Kaori was on a beanbag chair on the floor. She was wearing a change of clothes as well; sweats and a comfortable long sleeved t-shirt.

"So, what exactly are you going to tell your parents?" Airi asked at last. They'd been avoiding the subject and debating whether or not to invite Sakura and Kenta over, but now that Airi had brought it up, their previous conversation was forgotten.

"We got attacked by a hungry mountain lion," Kaori said rather convincingly. "It'll work, I think. We'll say that a park ranger was luckily in the area and managed to ward it off,"

"Akina and Yuichi will never let you out again, you know," Airi pointed out bluntly. Kaori heaved a sigh and hugged a pillow to her chest in frustration.

"I know…" she muttered bitterly.

"I don't understand why you can't just tell them the truth," Hayate said matter-of-factly. He looked from one girl to the other. "We can't keep this a secret forever. Your parents will start wondering where you're getting all these bruises,"

"I know," Kaori said again. She heaved a sigh and leaned back. "But I don't want to get anyone else involved. It's too dangerous…"

Hayate frowned. "Yeah, you're right, huh?" he mused absently. He put down the pencil and heaved a frustrated sigh. "Then we'll go with your story then. Mountain lion it is,"

"So, I'm curious about something now," Airi said suddenly. She turned her attention to Hayate. "That boy with the red eyes. What's your relationship with him?"

Hayate raised a brow at Airi. "Rosces?" he asked. "He's an old friend from the Demon World. We've known each other since we were kids,"

"I see…" Airi mused. Then, she smiled rather contentedly. "Alright then, works for me! Now then, onto our next topic: dinner! I'm personally in the mood for dumplings!"

Kaori couldn't help but smile at her friend's constant enthusiasm.

(--)

The full moon was rising into the sky, illuminating the dark streets with its silvery glow. A large, white wolf walked the streets carrying a thick, steel blue book between its jaws. It looked injured, tired. Its yellow eyes were half closed. He'd been walking for weeks, searching for someone, and he was getting extremely tired of it all. The injuries from the ambush earlier didn't help him at all either. He was lucky he'd escaped with minor injuries. His white fur was spotted with blood; he was cut, hurt, and tired. So tired…

He put the book down on the grass beside the concrete sidewalk and collapsed beside it, panting, eyes closed. A rest would be nice… His sensitive ears picked up the sound of a gasp; a light voice, young perhaps. He heard footsteps approaching and reluctantly opened his eyes once again. He started to rise to his feet with difficulty, but ultimately fell again. It was useless. He was too weak. He needed rest.

The footsteps got progressively closer. He looked up to see a young girl with blond hair, tied in pigtails standing over him. She wore a knee length sundress on this warm night, and dropped to her knees worriedly beside him. He felt a hand stroke the side of his face and attempted a snarl to ward this girl away.

"Shh, it's ok," the girl whispered soothingly. "You poor thing… what happened to you…?" The snarl stopped in the wolf's throat and he gazed up at the girl in wonder. She was the first human to approach him. Could she be the one? She was so young… "Can you walk, Mr. Doggy? I can take you home and help you feel better,"

The wolf's ears flattened against his head uncomfortably, then, he stood. He took the book between his jaws again and walked a few paced forward to indicate that he could in fact walk. The girl reached for the book in his mouth and he turned his head away to keep her from touching it. "Alright, then, sorry. You can hold it okay?" the girl said with a smile. She patted his head lightly and smiled. "My name's Hikari, by the way. I'll do my best to make you better, promise!"

The wolf repeated the name in his mind as he followed the young girl down the street.

**A/N:** Since it's been a while, I'm gonna give you guys a reminder that Hikari is Kaori's little sister. This might prove to be difficult, huh? Sorry for the late update, but here it is. Please, don't forget to review, okay!


	6. Level 6

**Chapter VI

* * *

**

**A/N:** Important Author's Note on bottom! Sorry for the short chapter – it's mostly exposition unfortunately. But I'm sure I'll get back into action in the next chapter. I'll try my hardest to update this more so please don't be discouraged by my last update time... ^.^ I'm a busy girl, after all!

* * *

Dumplings were a relatively easy meal to make. If you were Saki of course. But Kaori wasn't Saki. In fact, Kaori couldn't cook anything except rice and ramen. Thankfully, her parents had decided to buy pre-made _Gyoza_, which the girl had promptly extracted from the freezer and put into a pan to fry. Airi and Hayate were sitting at the table, each drinking a warm cup of tea. It was about seven thirty, Ichigo would be home in a half hour.

As usual on weekends, Airi invited herself to stay the night and was now dressed in an outfit similar to Kaori's and Hayate was still wearing the jeans and t-shirt he'd changed into upon his arrival at home. They had expected at least another half hour of peace and relaxation before anyone arrived at home, and needless to say, they were all thoroughly surprised to hear the front door open and Hikari's voice calling into the dimly lit house, "Hello? Anyone home?"

"In here," Kaori called in response. She turned her attention back to the _Gyoza_ cooking on the pan and flipped them to begin on the other side. Hikari entered the kitchen and rushed passed Hayate and Airi toward the refrigerator, which she promptly pulled open.

"Hey," Kaori said quickly, pointing the spoon at her sister, "I'm making _Gyoza_, so don't eat anything,"

"Oh, I ate at Maeko's house," Hikari explained. Kaori raised a brow at her little sister.

"Then why are you in the refrigerator?" she inquired. Hikari stiffened, caught, and then stepped back, closing the refrigerator door. She looked at her sister with an innocent smile and scratched the back of her head.

"I was looking for some juice, but I just noticed we don't have any," she said, "I'll go to the market to get some!" That said, Hikari turned on her heel, running back out of the kitchen.

"Hikari, wait a minute!" Kaori called, but Hikari was out the front door before she could object further. Kaori looked at Hayate and Airi quizically for a few moments, only to find that they were as confused as she was. "Heh, wonder what she's up to..."

Hikari closed the front door quietly behind her, releasing the breath she'd been holding in since she'd been spotted by her sister. What Kaori hadn't noticed was that Hikari was hiding something behind her sweater, which, now that she was safe, she cautiously pulled out to examine. It was a bag of steak, which her parents had bought just the day before. At least two pounds. Nodding to herself contentedly, she ran across the grass onto the sidewalk and around the corner, where the nearby park was.

She ran to the playground and then cautiously approached a penguine-shaped climbing aparatus, where within the plastic shelter was the large white dog from before. He looked up at Hikari, golden eyes cautious, then, upon smelling the meat, he licked his lips.

"Yep, it's for you," Hikari said, turning the bag inside out to act as a plate for the meat. She set it down on the floor and the canine smelled it briefly before gingerly taking a bite. Satisfied, he quickly began to eat. Hikari knelt down and watched him, resting her head in her hands, "What's your name, dog?" She asked, tilting her head, "And where in the world did you come from...?"

The dog didn't respond but regardless, Hikari smiled, "I've gotta go, but I promise, I'll be back every day to play with you and feed you, ok? You just stay safe and in this area." Without another word, she stood and ran. She would stop first at the store to pick up juice before making her way home.

(–)

The outside of the Sato household was quiet as usual on this warm summer night, quiet enough that the blue-haired girl sitting in the leaf-covered tree had to remain completely still to avoid making a sound. Yellow eyes stared through the second story window into Kaori's room, where three bodies – Kaori, Airi, and Hayate, sat on the bed watching a horror movie while enjoying their dumplings.

The girl's eyes darted to the yellow spell book, which was resting carelessly on the desk near the window, where certainly anyone could take it. But this girl wasn't here for that. At fifteen, she was sitting in this tree for no other reason then the simple fact that she was told to be there.

"What's their status, Maria," A male voice in her earpiece said. The girl, Maria, put a hand to it as she responded.

"They're just watching a movie," she said boredly, "Why exactly do I have to watch them? Can't I just burn their book and - "

"You weren't told to question your orders," the voice said, "You're just on a recon mission, so stop complaining and stay quiet," With a huff, the girl complied, adjusting her position so she was sitting cross-legged on the thick branch. She was surprisingly well-balanced and not the least bit concerned with falling down the two story drop, "Tell me what you know,"

"Well, obviously, the one with the sling is the Demon," She said, "I can tell just by looking about him, but as for which of the two girls is the partner... I'm not sure. The blond carried the book home, but the brunette looking through it for a good hour before she put it down to watch the movie,"

The sound of a car door closing caught her attention and she casually turned her head to look before twisting her entire body to face the direction of the street. A car was parked on the curb, and from the driver's seat, an older boy, no older then eighteen, with blond hair stepped out. He was wearing a tucked in black shirt and black slacks – Ichigo Sato. From the passenger seat, the third Sato sibling stepped out, holding a grocery bag in her hand.

"I can't believe Kaori let you go by yourself. It's dark out, is she crazy?" Ichigo demanded.

"I'm twelve, Ichigo, I can take care of myself," Hikari said, obviously annoyed. Her normal child-like disposition was completely gone by now. The two walked up the walkway, Hikari in front in an obvious attempt to get away from Ichigo.

"Exactly. Some perverted old guy could've picked you off the street as easily as I picked you up at the market. You need to think about these things, Hikari. What were you doing out anyway..."

Maria couldn't hear another word because at that moment the two entered the house, closing the door behind them and with that, cutting off all sound. "Two others just entered – probably siblings. Brother and sister maybe?" She watched the window again – Ichigo had just opened Kaori's bedroom door and was obviously lecturing the girl. "Now they're arguing. Can I go now?"

"Good work, Maria," the voice in the earpiece said, "Yes, you can return. And don't get caught."

"Never, sir," The girl said. She nimbly jumped off the branch, landing softly on her feet without a sound, then, she quickly made her way away from the home. She stopped at the corner beneath a streetlight to look back at the house, and in that new light, light blue cat-ears were clearly visible atop her head, and a thin blue cat tail flicked mischievously. The pupils of her yellow eyes were thin slits, shrunken in the bright light of the street lamp.

"You know, the demon's kinda cute," she said with a giggle.

"Don't get too attached," The voice in her earpiece said. Maria rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know," She said, "Just a comment. Sheesh Quent, you don't have to take everything so seriously," Without another word, the girl took off, away from the Sato home.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, so not much happened here unfortunately, but that's because I haven't sat down to really work on this in a LONG time. And I really have to apologize for that. My inspiration for Gash Bell fanfiction has faded, but thankfully recently, it's begun to return! I've decided that I'll not be accepting character profiles – it might make this easier to write (actually, most definitely) so please send in what you can! I need all basic character information including spells and spell color, alliance, etc. (though alliance is likely to change...) Please send these via PM instead of reviews!


	7. Level 7

**Chapter VII

* * *

**

"_Were is the Demon? The large black werewolf-like creature growled, its face inches from Kaori's own. She felt herself suffocating as she was pressed harder against the tree, the furry hand clamped around her neck tightening. "Where!"_

_Kaori couldn't bring herself to respond. She couldn't even breathe. Instead of speaking, se clamped her eyes shut. She was going to die…. She was... suddenly able to breathe? Gingerly, she opened her eyes again and they widened in horror at the sight before her._

_Sprawled on the ground before her were three bodies, facedown. One of them was her brother, a pool of blood forming beneath him and even from here, Kaori could see the hole through his stomach. The second was smaller – her sister, and her long blond hair was matted with dark red blood. Finally was Hayate, his white hair tainted red ad blood staining his clothes and arms, seeping from deep gashes all across his body. None of them were moving and Kaori knew without a doubt that they weren't breathing either._

_Stumbling, she approached, falling to her knees beside her younger sister. Kaori gingerly touched the girl's bare shoulder – cold – and pushed her onto her back. She immediately regretted she hadn't. Hikari's eyes stared blankly ahead, the shadow of terror still apparent in the faded greenish-blue. Kaori gasped stumbling back, only to trip over her brother's body. She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, knowing she'd see the same thing as Hikari's._

"_Kay-or-ee…" Hayate's voice suddenly said, weak and tired. Kaori looked toward him, her entire body frozen again but still shaking uncontrollably. Hayate's face was covered in blood and a single shaky hand reached out to her, dripping red. R-ru-n…" he managed. Then, his hand dropped and the fiery look in his eyes faded into a dull gray green._

_Kaori shook her head slowly. If he was alive, she couldn't leave him! But why was this happening? What happened? She gripped her hair, shaking her head frantically, "No, no, no, no!" She muttered, "This is just a dream. A dream! I'm going to wake up!"_

_Then, she heard a soft humming – a haunting lullaby that made Kaori look up again. Standing beyond Hayate was a girl, no older then seventeen, with long silver hair extending to her knees. She wore a long, midnight blue dress that covered passed her ankles, and Kaori could see the silver heels beneath it. Silver gloves adorned her hands, extending up to her elbows. She was silhouetted against an oversized silver moon, and although Kaori couldn't see her face, what was visible of her skin was pale._

_The humming became soft singing, so quietly, Kaori couldn't understand it. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, forcing herself to avoid looking at the bodies around her. Tears fell from her eyes as she struggled to speak passed the lump in her throat, "Who are you?" She demanded._

_The girl turned her head slowly, revealing a pale face with straight bangs above eyes as silver as the moon behind her, irises glowing. "Why? Who did this?" Kaori choked out._

_The silver girl smiled softly – a calming smile that graced her already beautiful features, and turned to face Kaori, bringing a finger to her lips. "Why, it was you," She said in a gentle, but mature voice. Suddenly, Kaori felt a piercing pain in her chest and looking down, she spotted a stain of re beginning to form in the front of her white dress. Her eyes widened in surprise and she slowly raised a hand to her chest, feeling the warm wetness of fresh blood. The girl began humming again, the finger still lightly against her smiling lips, and turned away as Kaori fell back, through the ground, into an endless black void._

Kaori woke with a start, biting back a terrified scream as she sat up quickly in bed. Her breathing was labored, her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. She glanced at her clock – it was a full hour before her alarm was to go off, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. At the moment, she didn't even want to try. Instead, she jumped out of bed, jogging as quietly as she could out her bedroom door and into the next room over, where her little sister would surely be sleeping. She quietly opened the door, peeing in and was relieved to see her sound asleep in her bed.

She stepped out, closing the door gently behind her and making her way to the bathroom. She turned on the light as she let the door shut behind her and stared at her own reflection. Outside the high bathroom window, she could hear the patter of rain. Two days had passed since that encounter with the Demon in the forest and still Kaori was having nightmares about it? But the girl… she was a new addition to the dream.

Kaori shook her head to clear it and turned to the shower, turning the hot water to full blast. "Just a dream," she reminded herself. But for some reason, she could still hear that strange haunting lullaby, even as the water pounded against her head and back.

(--)

"Kaori? Kay-or-ee. Hey, Earth to Kaori!" Kaori turned her eyes away from the window situated across the room and looked at Airi with a confused expression. The soccer payer looked back rather anode, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the desk opposite her friend. "Hey, are you ok? You're really out of it this morning,"

"What? Oh, yeah I'm fine," Kaori replied, waving the girl off with a smile, "I just didn't sleep well, is all," Airi looked at her skeptically, her head tilted to one side, and Kaori's smile widened as she leaned back comfortably in her rather uncomfortable desk chair, "I said I'm ok, Airi, don't worry,"

"If she says she's fine, then she's fine," Hayate said suddenly. He looked bored as Airi turned her gaze to him leaning back in his chair in front of her with his hands behind his head, "Leave it alone," The teacher entering at the front ended the conversation, whether Airi wanted to or not, and reluctantly, the girl made her way to the door.

"I'll see you after class then, ok?" she said, jogging out and down the hallway to her own classroom. Not thirty second after she'd left, Hayate slipped a folded piece of paper into Kaori's desk. The blond picked it up and looked at it.

_You're a terrible liar. Tell me later._

Kaori bit her lip and rolled the small paper into a ball before slipping it into her bag. She'd throw it away later, during her break.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Kurosawa said as he took his place at the lectern. Rather then step immediately into their lesson, he wrote something else on the board. A word not in Japanese, but in English. For a moment, the class stared at hit, confused – until of course Kurosawa turned to face them.

"You're in an English Language class, therefore , I've written this name in English. Who can translate it?" he asked. As usual, no one raised their hands – not that they weren't able, but weren't willing to attempt to translate, "Uzuki," Kurosawa said at last, "You're exceptionally good at language. What about you?"

Hayate looked lazily at the board for a brief moment- yes, he could read it. In fact, he was very fluent in English and most other languages actually. Being a demon, it was necessary to understand the majority of popular languages of humans. One never knew what nationality their partner would be. And while he did have an image to keep up, he most certainly wasn't an idiot.

"Haley Storm," he said at last. _Interesting name._ He thought to himself.

"That's right," Kurosawa said, "Haley Storm – the name of out new student, just transferred here from America. Miss Storm, would you place come in?" he called to the door.

As told, the girl entered, and her appearance shocked most of the class. Her hair, though tied up in a ponytail, as long and a vibrant, almost unnatural shade of red. Her eyes were hazel, complementing her light skin, and she was fairly tall at five-eight. Her uniform fit comfortably – the knee length red skirt and sailor shirt complementing her slim yet well-endowed figure. No one had seen anything quite so strange since Hayate's admission – unusual hair and eye color, yet surprisingly attractive despite it. She looked extremely uncomfortable. "Miss Storm, would you please introduce yourself?" Kurosawa suggested.

Haley fingered the hem of her skirt uncertainly as she spoke softly, "Uhm… my name is Haley Storm, but you can just call me Haley…" she said slowly. She trailed off, unsure of what else to say, so the teacher filled in for her.

"Storm is here from America on a scholarship fund, so she's living alone in her apartment. Everyone, I expect you all to be nice and respect her," he said, almost warningly. He knew some of his students and he was sure that with a new girl in class, some wouldn't hesitate to jump at fresh meat. His gaze fell specifically at Hayate, whose eyes watched the new girl with obvious interest.

"There's an empty seat beside Sato," Mr. Kurosawa said, "Sato, raise your hand,"

Haley looked to Kaori and for a moment, their eyes locked, blue-green meeting hazel. It was extremely brief, but Kaori couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something unusual about this girl – not her nationality or hair color, though that was a marvel in itself, but rather something about the way she carried herself now as she walked across the class room. Her head was held high, her stride much more confident then before. When she took a seat beside Kaori, she straight, took out her pen and notebook, and prepared to take notes.

_Better now then never, right?_ Kaori asked herself. She offered Haley a warm smile and said, "Hi, I'm Kaori Sato. Nice to meet you." Haley looked at her, sizing the teen up, and she smiled slightly.

"Nice to meet you, Sato," she said with a peculiar smile spread across her lips. She put her schoolbag on the floor, unsteady, and it fell over, spilling two books into the aisle between their desks.

"Oh, let me help you," Hayate said quickly before Kaori or Haley could even react. The boy slipped out of his seat, crouching, and reached for the fallen books. It wasn't until he spotted a thick silver volume that the smile on his face fell and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Kaori spotted it too and simultaneously, they looked up at Haley.

The girl was staring at them – not angrily, not suspiciously, but rather with an amused expression. "Hey, I think I need someone to show me around the city. Would you mind?" She asked.

Kaori and Hayate looked at each other for the briefest of moments, and that simple glance was all it took to get the answer. Looking back at Haley, they nodded, then, Kaori, with a smile, said, "Of course we'll do it. No problem," as Hayate gave Haley her books.

(--)

"I don't care what you say, I'm going with you," Airi insisted as she stood beside Hayate and Kaori at the front gates of the school. She was stubborn like that at times, especially when it came to this battle.

"Airi, this is a direct challenge. It's not a good idea," Hayate said with obvious concern, "Seriously, Kaori and I would be more comfortable if – "

"No," Airi said indignantly, "I'm not staying behind, nothing you say will convince me not to go. Last time you guys got into a fight alone, Hayate ended up with that sling. Speaking of which, are you even going to be able to fight with your arm still bandaged up?"

Hayate looked at his injured arm in surprise – he'd forgotten about it completely, as his long sleeved maroon uniform covered it. Out of sight, out of mind. "What, this?" he asked, raising his arms experimentally. There was a bit of pain, but not enough to hinder him in battle, "This is nothing – demons heal fast, it's like our metabolism. I'll be able to take it off a week earlier then normal humans will so…"

"Still…" Airi said. She looked around for the girl and her eyes fell upon a different figure – a teenaged boy that she noticed had been staring at them for quite some time. His hair was black against tan skin, short and spiky, and his eyes were sapphire. His ears were pierced with silver studs – he was shorter then Hayate and much thinner, but he was the same age and confident, though he bore an uninterested, almost blank expression.

The boy stood out amongst the red school uniforms with a light blue tank top beneath a blue jacket that covered slightly above his waist. He wore black pants and blue and silver sneakers to finish his outfit.

"What are you staring at?" Airi asked. She was already frustrated that Kaori and Hayate were arguing with her about her attendance, the last thing she wanted to have to deal with was some freak harassing them. However, the boy corner of the boy's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile – more like a smirk.

"I was wondering when you'd notice me," he said lazily. Hayate stepped forward, placing himself in front of Airi and Kaori, and he stared at the boy, "I'm also trying to figure out which of you is the Demon," he paused, his eyes falling on Hayate, "But now that I'm really looking, it isn't hard to tell,"

Hayate stepped forward a bit, placing himself between Airi and Kaori and this new boy. "Who are you?" he demanded. The two demons stared at each other, sizing each other up as if trying to determine which was stronger.

Kaori was aware of several eyes looking in their direction, male students waiting eagerly for a fight, female students marveling at the boys watching each other with a strange intensity that fascinated them.

"That's Hayate Uzuki, isn't it? From Class A?"

"Yeah, but who's the other guy?"

"I don't know, but they're both really cute,"

"Are they going to fight?"

I bet my money on Uzuki – that other kid's scrawny,"

Finally, the strange boy said, "Kai," His smirk never faded, even as he seemed to ignore the students around him, "I have a feeling... that this is going to be interesting,"

Kaori stepped passed Hayate, walking straight for Kai with a serious expression. The boy watched her lazily, the smirk fading into his previous bored look, even as she stopped directly in front of him, "There's too many people here and you're making a scene," Kaori said in an undertone, "If you guys want a battle, that's fine, but we'll choose the location," Then, extending a hand and smiling, she said in her usual tone, "Oh, you must be Haley's friend? She told me about you, I'm Kaori Sato, nice to meet you!"

Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the people that were watching leave, some disappointed, some relieved. Haley appeared not much later, having changed out of her uniform into a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. _Wish we had a change of clothes..._ Kaori thought to herself, looking down at hers and Hayate's school uniform.

"Oh, so you've met," Haley said with a smile, "Good, that makes things easier. Well, where to then, Sato?"

Kaori thought for a moment, trying to think of an area where there wouldn't be people – where destruction wouldn't be noticed. " I know just the place," she said.

(–)

The warehouse wasn't far – just two blocks away from the school. It had been abandoned for years and already demolition was in progress. Should things get too messy, any damage wouldn't be noticed or even considered an problem. They were unable to convince Airi to stay behind, no matter what they said, but thankfully the girl was keeping her distance, on the other side of the fence surrounding the site.

The area was fairly secluded – being a warehouse, there were no other real buildings nearby, so being seen wasn't an issue at all for them either. Kaori and Hayate stood several yards away from Haley and Kai in the center of the demolition yard, their backpacks abandoned with Airi, both holding only their spell books – yellow and silver.

"Don't get me wrong," Haley called to the opposing team, "We're not doing this to burn your book or anything. As far as I can tell, you guys aren't bad people." She smiled slightly, "The only reason I knew you were like us was because of your reactions when you saw the book. Thanks for the help back there by the way. Anyway, this is just going to be a simple challenge – a battle to see who's stronger. That sound ok to you?"

"Sounds fine," Kaori said. _So they don't want to burn the book? How interesting... They're the first team we've met that wanted to battle just for fun..._ She looked at Kai – the boy, as usual, looked extremely bored and careless, while the girl was enthusiastic and obviously excited. She nudged Hayate.

"I get the feeling..." she said slowly, "That this is the girl's decision... not the demons..." Hayate, in response, looked toward them with a grin.

"Well, a battle's a battle," he said, cracking his knuckles, "We've got two spells and have no idea how many they've got. But we've won against the odds before. We can do it again," Kaori nodded her agreement.

"Well, if you guys don't mind, I think we'll start," Haley said. She opened the spell book, holding it in one hand and looking down at the words. Immediately, it began to glow, the white light almost blinding. "May the best pair win,"

* * *

**A/N:** I think this is a good place to end. Kai and Haley belong to **LaZy-RaIn-DaNcEr. **Thanks for lending them to me! Now then, The next chapter will have the battle. Originally it was here… but it stretched too long. Besides, cliffhangers are fun! After some debate, I think it'd be best to let you guys submit your characters in reviews, for convenience sake. Thank you so much for reading and don't forget the feedback!


	8. Level 8

**Chapter VIII

* * *

**

Kaori snapped her spell book open the moment she saw Haley's erupt in white light. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness but not long for her own book to illuminate. _"Theirs is so much brighter than ours."_ She thought to herself, looking down at her yellow spell book, _"They've obviously got way more experience._"

"Ready? Start!" Haley said cheerfully. Kai sighed and took a few steps forward rather lazily and cracked his knuckles, "Tsuchiku!" Haley shouted.

"Wait," Hayate said, extending a hand in front of Kaori as the girl opened herself to read a counter-spell. Around them, dirt and rocks began to rise, as if the gravity around them had faded, and flew toward Kai, who held his hands in front of him, palms facing himself. The dirt and rocks surrounded his hands, seeming to stick to them and molding into their shape. When they were through, he swiped his arms downward hard, knocking off any stray pieces, then raised them again in front of him with his hands balled into fists.

"Fight hard, Kai," Haley chirped. Kai rolled his eyes and shook his head a bit as he started walking toward the opposition, then broke into a run. Hayate's hands balled into fists as he ran toward Kai to meet him.

"_The earth surrounding his hands probably makes him stronger."_ Kaori thought to herself as her spell book began to glow, _"No matter how strong Hayate is, he'll need support to be able to take that spell…_" She watched as Hayate reeled back a fist, about to crash it into Kai's approaching enlarged one, and at that moment she called the spell. "Jikir!" she shouted.

Wind swirled around Hayate's un-bandaged left arm just as the two demon's fists collided. The wind beam shot at the rock covered hand and the two held like that for a brief time, fists against fists, then, the both retreated, jumping back several feet before charging again.

Hayate made the first punch this time, but his fist was blocked by Kai's crossing upward as a shield. "Even without your spell to help you, you're pretty strong," Kai said, vaguely impressed, "But you're going to have to move faster if you even _hope_ to land a hit,"

With his free hand, he punched Hayate square in the jaw. The strength of his punch, combined with the spell, was enough to send Hayate flying, rolling on the ground before he managed to maneuver into a crouch. He wiped his mouth as he stood up and Kai moved quickly, throwing quick strong jabs at Hayate, who was forced to step back as he dodged them all with ease.

"For such a scrawny guy, you've got a hell of a punch," he commented. He felt his back press against the wall of the old warehouse and ducked and rolled to avoid another jab. Kai's fist went straight through the steel wall and Hayate rose to his feet behind him, pressing a hand to the demon's back. Kai turned his head, his eyes widen in surprise, to see Hayate's smirking face.

"Jikir!" Kaori shouted.

"Chisokumera!" Haley called simultaneously. As Hayate's blast f wind shot out, Kai seemed to disappear, allowing the blast to slam into the wall with enough force to create another hold in it right beside the first. Hayate's eyes widened and he spun around. Kai, his hand still surrounded by rock and dirt, slammed a fist into Hayate's stomach, pushing him hard against a wall and leaving and indent in the steel where his body hit.

Hayate coughed as the wind was knocked out of his lungs, but recovered quickly and quickly pushed away from the wall. He staggered as he returned to his own side of the battle field, catching his breath.

"What the hell…" he growled in frustration, "First his fists are surrounded by earth and now he moves incredibly fast. What the hell is his spell power?"

"Kai's an interesting one, if you ask me," Haley responded, "His spell power is Earth, but he's got a sub-level of power – Speed. His spells generally revolve around amplifying his strength and speed, but even so, with his brains, assist spells can be lethal,"

"_Earth,"_ Kaori thought to herself, _"So if there's no Earth available then…_" She looked toward the building – warehouses these days were composed entire of steel from floor to ceiling with no windows (after all, they weren't needed) and the sliding door, while open right now, was sealed along the cracks to ensue freshness. So… theoretically… _"We've just got to get him in there…"_

"Hayate," Kaori said calmly. Hayate looked over his shoulder at her and the moment their eyes met, she turned hers toward the warehouse. Hayate glanced at it and smirked.

"I knew there was a reason I got stuck with you. Alright, I've got an idea. You know when to cast," he said, then he ran forward.

Kaori turned a page in her spell book and Hayate raised a hand, aimed it at Kai. "Jikir!" Kaori shouted. Hayate thrusted his open palm toward Kai, who raised his rock-encased hands to block it, but rather then hit Kai, Hayate's hand went straight passed him, beside Kai's head, aiming instead toward Haley.

Kai's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking with a sudden fury and even though the rocks around his hands faded when Haley lost her concentration at the approaching spell, he managed to hit Hayate's arm downward, knocking the beam off course and sending the powerful gust shooting into the ground near Haley.

Then, Kai wrapped a hand around Hayate's throat, pushing him down to the ground with a frighteningly murderous expression. Hayate was unphased by the look – in fact, he was smirking. _"Mission accomplished._" He thought.

"How _dare_ you attack her?" Kai growled, "Hit me all you want but you're going to regret trying to hurt her,"

"Big words," Hayate said. Although the grip around his neck was tight enough to block his windpipe, he did his best to avoid showing he was struggling, "Think you can follow through?" He thrust both of his palms against Kai's chest.

Kaori, who had been watching apprehensively, didn't hesitate to cast, "Ora Jikiru!" Kai was knocked away as two strong beams of wind shot out of Hayate's hands, hitting him square in the chest. Hayate jumped to his feet without hesitation, taking in a deep breath of air to make up for the moments he'd lost. _"He's so protective."_ Kaori thought, _"Just like Hayate. Could he have known Kai would react that way?"_

"Come on, Speedy," Hayate said mockingly, "You want to make me pay, you'd better hurry. I'm starting to feel like attacking again," he cracked his knuckles and raised a hand in emphasis toward Haley.

Kai reacted immediately, just as Hayate expected. He ran toward the wind demon, fists clenched without the help of a spell. Hayate smirked and avoided the series of punches and kicks that Kai threw at him with ease. He blocked a kick with his left hand and grabbing the leg with the help of his other hand, lifted Kai up and after spinning once, threw him away. "Is that all you've got? Guess without those spells of yours you really _are_ useless,"

"Bastard," Kai said, scrambling to his feet and running at Hayate. Hayate smirked.

"Come and get me, Speedy!" He said, turning on his heel and running toward the warehouse. Kaori's eyes widened. _"He did it…"_ she thought to herself as Kai followed without hesitation. Haley followed as well, the book glowing brightly. Taking that as her cue, Kaori ran toward the warehouse where they'd just disappeared, skidding to a stop at the door. She put the book in her mouth with difficulty as she grabbed the door and began to slide it shut.

Hayate, meanwhile, dodged a series of attacks from the furious Kai. "What's with the sudden change of character?" h asked mockingly, ducking under a punch to the face. He grinned, "You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to stand a chance against me,"

"Chisokumera!" Haley shouted. Kai's speed increased ten-fold and he moved so quickly that Hayate was struggling to keep up, "Now, Tsuchiku!" She added.

Kai stopped his assault and jumped back to wait for the dirt and rocks to accumulate, his fists clenched readily. However, he was surprised when the spell didn't work. He gazed at his hands, his blue eyes wide in shock and confusion.

"What the hell? Why isn't it…?" Haley began; however, she was interrupted by a different sound.

"Jikir!" Kaori shouted, the spell book glowing brightly as she ran into the battle. Hayate extended a hand, shooting the beam of wind directly at Kai and hitting him square in the chest again. The force of the blow knocked him back into the wall behind, leaving a dent where his body hit.

"Kai!" Haley shouted. She ran toward him, worried, "Tsuchiku! Damn it, why won't it work?"

"Your spell collects Earth from the surrounding area to strengthen your fists," Kaori said. The girl's voice stopped Haley in her tracks and she turned to look at Kaori, who was standing beside Hayate now with the book glowing brightly, "If there's no dirt in the area, then the spell is completely useless. A powerful spell with particularly lethal conditional circumstances. Lucky for us, Hayate's good at playing the antagonist. Take a look around you, Miss Storm,"

For the first time, Haley let her eyes wander around the warehouse – the entire thing was made of steel, the only source of light coming from the thick skylight windows high above. But the door… she turned to it, only to find it close and latched, "That sneaky little…"

Kaori smiled, "That's right," she said, "And now we've got the upper hand. Two spells against one. You still want to keep this up?"

Haley looked at Kaori and Hayate for a while, shocked. Then, slowly, a grin spread across her lips and she closed the spell book. "I've got to hand it to you, you guys are definitely good. Kai, are you ok?"

Kai pulled himself away from the wall, rubbing his shoulder unhappily, "Yeah," he replied, looking distastefully at Hayate, "But he won't be," he took a step toward Hayate but was stopped by Haley reaching out and grabbing his sleeve.

"Hold it, big guy," She said, "I closed the book, the battle's over,"

"I don't need the book to beat him to a pulp," Kai argued. Hayate crossed his arms and raised an amused brow.

"Think you can? Try it," He said.

Haley looked curiously at Kai, obviously amused as well, "Why are you suddenly so determined to fight, Kai? You _hate_ battling. Too much trouble, remember?"

"Well no one attacks my partner and gets away with it," Kai answered. At this, Hayate started laughing, his voice echoing in the quiet empty warehouse. Kai and Haley turned their attention to him and Kai loosened up, thrown off. "What's so funny? The black haired demon demanded.

It took a moment for Hayate to regain his composure and when he finally did, he had to wipe the tears that had accumulated in his eyes from the effort of laughing, one hand on his stomach, "Seriously? That's what you're mad about?" he asked. The laughed again, "I wasn't really going to hurt her. That was just a ruse to get you in here. I _couldn't _hit her – she's a girl!" He grinned suddenly, looking Haley up and down, "And a pretty good looking one, too,"

Haley's cheeks turned almost as red as her hair and she quickly looked away, "Sh-shut up," She said, "so what if I'm a girl I can take it,"

"Never said you couldn't, Red," Hayate said, "But it's against my own personal code to hit a human girl. Hell, I won't even hit a demon girl without cause,"

"Hayate likes to think of himself as a gentleman," Kaori said, "But that's just his word for perverted flirt," She ignored the particularly venomous look Hayate gave her and walked across the warehouse toward Haley and Kai. She stopped directly in front of them and extended a hand, "That was a good fight. It's nice to meet someone who doesn't want to burn our book. Since you're coming to school with us anyway, let's be friends. Ok?"

After a moment's silent debate, Haley smiled as well and took Kaori's hand, "Alright, sure," She said, "But on one condition," Kaori tilted her head to one side, waiting, "Call me Haley,"

Kaori laughed, "Fair enough. Then you call me Kaori, ok?"

"It's a deal,"

(--)

It would be an understatement to say that Airi was relieved when she saw her two friends emerge from the warehouse. She stood up from the bench she was sitting at and ran to the fence, abandoning the backpacks. Both demons had minimal injuries, and Kaori didn't seem damaged at all. She heaved a sigh and muttered, "Thank god…"

She couldn't wait for Kaori to come to her – gathering up the three bags (hers, Hayate's, and Kaori's) she ran toward her friends and nearly tackled Kaori when she reached them. "You're ok!" She exclaimed. Then, to Hayate, she said, "And you didn't disappear! God, I was so worried when I Saw you guys go into the warehouse!"

Kaori sighed and laughed a bit, "This is why I didn't want you to come," Kaori said, "We're fine, Airi. We always are,"

"Where are the other guys?" Airi asked. Kaori was about to respond that they were right behind her, but when she turned to look, she was startled to see that the pair wasn't.

"Oh… they must have gone home," Hayate said, scratching his head. He yawned tiredly and picked up his book bag, then started walking, "That actually sounds like a good idea. Let's go guys, I'm tired…"

"You have to tell me _everything_! What happened? Who won? What…"

"Airi," Kaori said, raising a hand to stop her friend's interrogation, "How about we start with a cool down, huh?" Airi's cheeks flushed and she laughed with embarrassment.

"Right, sorry," She said.

"Oi, come on," Hayate called to them. In the short time, he'd already reached the corner and was waiting impatiently for them to catch up.

Unbeknownst to them, two figures watched them from atop the warehouse. The shorter one was a female, with waist-length brown hair and turquoise eyes, no more than fifteen, and the other looked much more human, and much taller and larger than the slim, slender girl. This man wore a leather jacket with a plain white t-shirt beneath and jeans and motorcycle boots. His hair was slicked back in a typical Greaser style, and in a leather-gloved hand, he held an aquamarine spell book. He looked older, mid thirties at least.

"His partner is a girl," the girl said, "I'll bet Hayate didn't take that well,"

"How do you know him, anyway?" the book owner asked, dark eyes glancing at his demon. The girl lifted her arms above her head, arching her back and stretching. She wore a plain white t-shirt, like her partner, and a leather jacket that exposed the midriff, with jean shorts and Egypt-style sandals.

"Oh, lots of girls know Hayate" she said, her eyes watching the white haired demon getting steadily farther. Her pupils narrowed to slits in the sunlight, "The Human World must have put a damper on his real power. He's much stronger back home. Then again, it could be that girl's fault,"

"Don't complain, Zoe," the human said, "The weaker he is, the better for us,"

"So does that mean you want to strike now?" The demon girl asked, looking up at her partner.

"That other team is too close," Danny replied with a shake of his head, "We won't stand a chance against two of them,"

The girl pouted unhappily, but nodded all the same. Quent reached out and patted Zoe on the head in an attempt to console her, "Don't make that face, Kitten," he said. "Let's wait a while longer, gather more information. Then, when they least expect it, we'll strike,"

* * *

**A/N:** I hope this was satisfactory? Thank you to the people who have sent in teams, but I'm still looking for more, so keep 'em coming! The next chapter should be out soon!


	9. Level 9

**Chapter IX

* * *

**

The girl felt the hands grab her shoulders before she could even think to react and in immediately, she felt herself shoved harshly into the storage closet. Her back hit the wall, knocking over a few brooms and a dustpan, and she fell pathetically down the wall into a clumsy sitting position. Her emerald eyes were downcast, refusing to look up at her assailants.

The group of girls were laughing - all of them were her age, a pack of four. One of them, a brown haired girl that seemed to be the leader, held the door of the storage closet with one hand as she looked down at the short sixteen year old with sky blue hair. "Since you like being alone so much, Teruyama, why don't you let us help you out?" The girl asked. She laughed and slammed the closet door.

The blue-haired girl found herself engulfed in darkness, drawing her knees up to her chest and biting back her anger and tears. She could hear scuffling outside the door, but soon, it would end. Once those girl's left, she'd be able to get out without having to deal with them again. So she waited.

Ten minutes later that she finally heard their laughing voices fade down the hallway and when she was in complete silence, she stood up and tried to open the door, only to find that it as locked. "Just my luck..." she said bitterly to herself. She clenched her fists and kicked hard at the door to vent her frustration, but to no avail. Defeated, she sat back down, her back against the wall, crossing her arms over her drawn up knees and resting her head upon them. "They probably wedged something in the door..." she muttered.

Three hours later, she heard a sound outside - the something being pushed agaisnt the linoleum floor. She raised her head as the door was opened, her eyes falling upon a young boy that appeared to be seven or eight years old. He had with hair and azure eyes and was dressed in a blue long sleeved shirt and white sports shorts, with silver shoes. He looked at the girl with a small frown.

"I was wondering why you were late, Rika," he said. His speech made it obvious that he was older then seven, though the girl, Rika, knew from experience that this child was eleven. "Are you ok?"

Rika remained seated for a moment, gazing at the white-haired child before her. Then, slowly, she stood up and dusted off her school uniform. "I'm fine," She said. "Thank you for finding me, Azure,"

The two stared at each other with what appeared to be mutual respect for a while, then, Azure turned and started to walk away. "You're welcome," he said, "Now, can you make me dinner now? I'm starving,"

Rika smiled softly and watched the child for a few seconds before following him, "Anything you want, little brother," she said. Together, the pair left the school building to return home as the sun set beyond the mountains.

(-)

"Ugh... it's way too early for school," Haley groaned as she walked beside Kaori and Hayate. The trio had met at a halfway point between their houses. Airi had gone away for the week on a family trip to Tokyo to visit relatives, and Kenta and Saki hardly ever walked to school anymore. Yes, Kaori had been offered a ride, but she'd declined. She preferred to walk.

"Tell me about it," Hayate agreed. As Kaori expected, he'd placed himself beside Haley, walking on the outside of the sidewalk, and he loooked as sleepy as Haley did. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, raising his arms up and stretching. "They should start later in the day. Say, afternoon?"

Haley sighed in frustration, "Stupid Kai. He's probably going to go back to sleep now that he's dropped me off with you guys. I'm so jealous..."

"Speaking of Kai," Kaori said suddenly, "Why doesn't he come to school with us? He's about the same age as Hayate, right?"

Haley looked at Hayate for a moment, then straight ahead again as she slung her school bag over one shoulder, "Well, unlike Hayate, no one really knows about him, so I don't have to worry about having any sort of cover story..." she shrugged, "Plus, he doesn't want to. That bum is too lazy to do _anything_ that involves any sort of eertion..."

"Well, his loss," Hayate said, "The less time he spends with you, the more time I get," he smirked contentedly and Haley felt her cheeks heat up.

"Don't say things like that, you flirt," she said, flustered.

"What, I'm speaking the truth," Hayate insisted. Kaori rolled her eyes at her partner's antics and stoppped, looking across the street at a small pastry shop. She'd skipped breakfast this morning, since she'd woken up late (part of the reason she felt so well-rested) and her stomach was growling. Haley and Hayate stopped and turned to watch her as she started across the street. "Kaori," Hayate called.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up," Kaori called back over her shoulder, "I'll meet you two at school, ok?" Before they could protest, she entered the shop. When she was behind the glass window, she looked out across the street again. As expected, they'd continued onward and Kaori heaved a sigh of relief. "I swear, I can't walk with any of my girl friends with him around. It's like I suddenly become third wheel," she turned her attention to the various pastries and smiled as her eyes fell upon the melon bread. "I'll take some of these..." She decided, and picking up a brown bag, she began to collect a few pieces of the bread.

When she was finished and paid for her treat, she made her way back out, holding the bag close to her chest with a content expression. "Hee hee, I haven't had melon bread in months," She said cheerfully, "This is going to be so good..." Her excitement seemed to fade when someting to her left caught her attention - a short girl wearing a high school uniform from a different school in the area, surounded by a gang of three high school boys wearing the same colors. Kaori tilted her head, confused. Were they threatening her?

The boy's large hand roughly pushing the blue-haired girl back into the alley nearby was more then enough proof for Kaori. As the two other boys followed, Kaori gave chase, skidding to a stop at the mouth of the thin alley just as the boys shoved the girl up against the wall.

"Hey!" She shouted furiously. Simultaneously, the boys and the girl turned to look at Kaori, the guys startled, the girl almost afraid, with tears streaming down her cheeks. When the boys spotted Kaori, their surprise faded into smirks.

"What, it's just a girl," the biggest one, holding the girl's shoulder said. He had spiked up brown hair and eyes to match and the shadow on his chin made him look much older then high school. The other two were obviously yonger then him and trying to imitate his style, the spiked hair, though they wore sunglasses. "Never seen her before. She must go to another school. Get lost girlie," he turned his attention back to the shorter girl again, as did the others.

"Stop it, leave me alone," The girl said, trying to push the guys away. However, they ignored her and it was then that Kaori acted.

Kaori ran forward, dropping the bag of melon bread and clenching her fists. When she reached the boys, she slipped right in between them, placing herself between them and the girl, and thrust an open palm into the leader's chest. She had to reach up, as he was a bit taller then herself, but she connected hard enough to knock him back a few big steps before he tripped over his own feet and fell back.

"Boss!" the other two chorused, quickly making their way to the older kid. Kaori stared at them angrily, her fists still clenched.

"The hell..." Boss grumbled, rubbing his chest and glaring at Kaori, "What the hell kinda girl hits that hard?"

Kaori grinned, "Thanks to my brother's training I'm the equivalent of a brown belt in martial arts - that's just one below a black, so I can handle my own," She lowered her fists and dusted off her hands as she said, "I believe the girl said to leave her alone, so I'd suggest you do that," She crossed her arms, "Unless of course, you had no intentions of having any children,"

At once, the boys cringed at the mere thought of getting hit in that particular area and grudgingly began to leave. "Whatever," Boss said in an obvious attempt to retain his dignity. He glared at Kaori angrily as he and his small gang walked quickly out of the alley. It wasn't until she was sure they were gone that Kaori finally turned to the girl.

She was still pressed up against the wall and although she was standing up straight, she was shorter then Kaori by almost a whole head. Her emerald eyes were uncertain. Distrusting, Kaori thought. "Hey, are you ok?" She asked the girl, "They didn't hurt you too much, did they?"

Upon being spoken to, the girl quickly snapped out of her trance and cast her eyes downward, "No," she said simply, "I'm used to it. It's no big deal," She picked up her school bag, which she'd dropped, and walked away without another word. Kaori frowned and tilted her head to one side, bothered by the strange behavior. That wasn't the usual reaction of a girl who'd just been assaulted by three guys. Determined, she ran after the girl, scooping up the bag of melon bread on the way, and quickly caught up. The blue-haired girl paid her no attention.

"Hey," Kaori said slowly, "Are you sure you'll be ok walking to school by yourself? What if those jerks show up again?"

"I'll be fine," the girl insisted without looking at Kaori, "I walk to school every morning. Now please leave me alone," She spoke with what appeared to be forced politeness and Kaori knew right away that the girl really did want to be left alone. Still she moved directly in front of her, looking down at her with a smile.

"Ok, but first, I want you to have this," She said. She held out one of her melon breads to the girl, "My name's Kaori Sato. It's a pleasure to meet you," she bowed, still holding out the bread.

"I don't need charity," The shorter gir said forcefully. Kaori looked up and frowned, putting a finger to her chin in contemplation.

"It's not charity," Kaori said. She smiled again and looked down at the girl, "It's exchange,"

"So you do want something," the girl answered bitterly.

"Yep. But don't worry, it's something that's easy to supply. I'll give you this melon bread if you tell me your name,"

For a moment, the girl was shocked. She already wasn't used to this sort of interaction, but this strange girl she didn't even know had just saved her from bullies and all she wanted in return was her name? She looked innocent enough. But then again, they all did. Still...

"Teruyama," she said slowly, pronouncing the word carefully and watching for some sort of reaction. She wasn't about to give her first name to a girl she didn't even know, but Kaori seemed satisfied.

"Well then, Miss Teruyama, I hope you enjoy the bread," Kaori said, taking Teruyama's hand and placing the melon bread in it, "Be careful going to school, ok?" And without another word, she ran in the opposite direction as the girl toward her own school.

Rika Teruyama looked down at the melon bread in her hand skeptically. A gift from a random stranger. "Miss Sato..." she mused absently. Part of her wanted to throw it away. Still, her stomach was growling, and after a brrief internal debate, she took a small bite. Her normally blank expression was replaced with a small smile as she continued on her way to school.

(-)

"Where is it? I know I put it in here somewhere..." Haley mumbled as she sifted through her school bag. she groaned in frustration as she took out various books, flipping through them in search of her missing homework papers. "Or maybe... did I leave it on my desk? Crap!"

"Just calm down, it's there somewhere," Kaori said. She was sitting in her chair beside Haley, happily eating her remaining loaf of melon bread. Hayate reached over and took it from her hand, just as she was about to take a bite, resulting in her eating nothing but air. "Hey!"

"Just a bite, don't be greedy," Hayate said. He ripped off a chunk and gave the bread back to Kaori, who looked at it with a frown.

"You could ask before taking, you know," she said.

Haley pulled out her books, one of them the thick silver spell book. Kaori gazed at the book curiously, tilting her head to one side, and at last she asked, "How did you two meet?"

Haley looked at her in confusion for a moment, then followed Kaori's gaze to the spell book, "Oh, you mean Kai and I?" she asked, at which point Kaori nodded. "Well, it was actually pretty lucky for me..."

_Haley cursed as she found herself face to face with a solid brick wall. She could've sworn that this went all the way through, but then again, that may have been the alley before this one. Hearing rapid footsteps approaching from behind, she turned, only to find herself cornered by a group of at least five adult men. They were skinheads wearing leather jackets, sleeves ripped off, and bearing matching tattoo's on their arms._

_"We gotcha now, girl," the one who seemed to be the leader said. He stepped forward and pulled out a switchblade, pushing it open and the others behind him did the same. Haley tensed, clenching her fists and balancing on the balls of her feet in a slight crouch._

I think I can take on a few of them..._ she thought to herself, _Two at the most, but five?And they have knives... I'm screwed. _But she couldn't let them see her fear. She smirked, standing tall. __"Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked, "Didn't I send your boss to the hospital for harrassing that old man just the other day? You don't want to end up the same, do you?"_

_"Why do ya think we're here for ya, Red?" he growled, "No one messes with our Boss and gets away with it! Let's go boys!" Simultaneously, they rushed at Haley._

_The red-head was quick to react, moving to the side as the leader thrust his switchblade forward. It missed her by inches, catching her hair and slicing off a few strands. She twisted, hitting him in the side with the heel of her foot. Another came at her from the other side and when she landed on two feet once again, she turned to face him, thrusting out a fist and hitting him square in the nose._

_Then, she felt someone grab onto her hair and pull back. She cried out as her head was __wrenched back hard and in this distraction, someone punched her hard in the gut. She __gasped, the wind knocked out of her, and clutched her stomach as she dropped to her knees, gasping desperately for breath. Another hit her across the face, knocking her down and leaving a thin but bleeding cut from the switchblade across her cheek._

_The next thing she knew, she was on her back, pinned down with a switchblade to her throat "Any last words, Red?" the Leader asked with a vicious grin. Haley was about to open her mouth to respond, but before she could, another voice reached them._

_"Five grown men against one teenage girl?" The entire group turned their heads toward the mouth of the alley, where a figure short hair was spiked, his blue eyes dull and serious. He walked toward the group with his hands in his pockets, carrying a backpack over one shoulder, "That doesn't seem very fair. What kind of species are you?"_

_"Who the hell are you?" one of the chronies asked. Kai looked at him boredly and shrugged, raising his hands slightly with his eyes closed._

_"My name isn't important. But if you don't leave her alone, you might get hurt," He opened his eyes and stared right at the leader and there was a sudden ferocity in those sapphire orbs._

_If the men were frightened, they showed it for only the briefest of moments before they all stood to face Kai. "Who the hell do you think you're dealing with, huh?" The leader asked, strutting toward Kai, "We're the White Wolves, kid. Don't think you can - " He was cut off by a knee slamming into the side of his face with enough force to send him flying back into the brick wall. He hit it hard, almost leaving cracks in it, and shrunk to the ground, blood coming out of his nose and mouth._

_His chronies stared at her for a moment, then looked at Kai, who was landing solidly on the ground again and cracking his neck boredly. For a moment, no one moved. Then, Kai smirked. "So who's next?" he asked._

_They ran at him all at once, slashign with their switchblades, and with inhuman speed, Kai took them out one by one, a punch here, a well placed kick there... it was over within minutes with those who remained standing dragging away their fallen friends._

_Haley had watched the entire sequence in shock, a bit unsure of what to do as the boy walked toward and and knelt down. "Are you ok?" he asked._

_"Y-yeah..." she said, "Uhm, thank-" before she could finish, the boy suddenly collapsed._

"Turns out he was hungry," Haley said, laughing, "So I brought him home, fed him, and then found his book. I didn't know he was such a lazy bum back then, though,"

"Yeah, they tend to have hidden personalities," Kaori said, glancing at Hayate. The demon, noticing the look, raised a brow.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Kaori and Haley laughed at his annoyance.

"Oh, there it is!" Haley suddenly declared excitedly, pulling the notebook with her homework out from within a textbook, "Man, I thought I was done for!"

"Lucky you," Hayate said with a shrug, "You act like missing a day of homework is the end of the world or something."

Haley adjusted her papers with a content smile as she put her books back into her bag, "You don't understand. I'm a scholarship student. If I don't keep my grades up and prove that I belong at this school, they could send me back home," she heaved a relieved sigh and looked at Hayate, confused. "Wait, where's your homework?"

Hayate screatched his cheek lazily, "I didn't do it," he said simply, "It's way too time consuming, I have better things to do with my life,"

"If you're not going to try, then why do you bother coming to school?" Haley asked. Hayate shrugged.

"It's part of my cover," he said. "Kaori's family doesn't know what I really am. The only ones who _do_ know are those directly involved, and of course Airi. I'm only able to live with them because I'm claiming to be a foreign exchange student and they're my 'host family'," he shrugged, "Pretty trivial if you ask me. I think she should just tell them..."

"No," Kaori said firmly and a bit louder then she planned. A few heads turned toward them and she quickly lowered her own, looking down and fidgeting with her bread, "If I tell them, they'll just get involved. I don't want any of them getting hurt because of me..."

There was a period of silence amongst the three and Kaori flicked her eyes upward to see their serious, startled expressions. She sat up straight and put on a smile, laughing, "Sorry, I guess I was being too serious there. That's not like me at all!"

Hayate opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the teacher entered, shushing the class and ordering everyone to their seats. Grudgingly, walked to the other side of the classroom and took his place amongst his usual group of boys.

(–)

When school ended that day, Kai was waiting for Haley at the front gates, just as he had the day they'd first met. He was leaning against a tree trunk, his arms cross and his eyes closed as if he'd dozed off standing in place. A small group of girls were hovering nearby, giggling and pointing at him in obvious admiration.

Kaori gazed at him as she approached with Haley and Hayate and smiled slightly, "You know, he _is_ pretty cute," She admitted, "In this dark, mysterious kind of way. It's no wonder the girls at school are always staring."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Haley said, "Girls who flirt with him annoy him to no end,"

"Oh, I'd never flirt with him. Just because I think a guy is cute doesn't mean I have any interest in him," Kaori ammended with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You have no taste," Hayate said, "I'm way better looking then he is,"

"Oh, is Mr. Uzuki jealous?" Haley asked with a grin. Hayate scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Jealous? Please, I hardly consider Kaori a girl. She's my partner, that's all," he said nonchalantly. Kaori felt her face flush in sudden annoyance at the comment and she was about to turn around and put him in his place, however, before she could, a male's voice called his name.

Haley seemed to decide this was a good time to part, because with a giggle at their antics, she said, "See ya tomorrow, Hayate. Kaori," before jogging to meet Kai.

Hayate looked over his shoulder to see the team captain of the boy's soccer team waving him over, Airi, the girl's captain, beside him with a soccer ball. "What? Don't tell me you agreed to join the team?" Kaori asked, startled. He'd been so insistent on avoiding it.

"Well, Airi convinced me to try it out," Hayate said, shrugging, "and when a cute girl asks me a favor, I just can't say no,"

"Oh, I see," Kaori said with a nod, "You're just trying to get close to her,"

"Jealous?" Hayate asked playfully. Kaori turned away with a sly smile.

"Please, I hardly consider you a man," Kaori said. She looked over her shoulder to see his shocked and almost angry expression, "See you at home, _partner_," she said, and with a satisfied expression, she walked away.

_Alone again, huh?_ Kaori asked herself as she walked down the street along her usual path home. She looked upward at the pink cherry blossoms floating from the trees, covering the ground in a layer of rosy snow. She wished she'd been fast enough to get a ride from her brother, with Hikari, but when he had to go to the Police Academy, there was no waiting.

"Well, whatever," She said with a shrug, "It's not like I mind the peace and quiet every once in a while," She turned the corner but stopped. Standing on the sidewalk, blocking her path, was a group of three boys wearing a uniform different the one from her own school. It too her a moment to recognize them, but when she did, she tilted her head.

"You guys again?" she asked calmly. But something wasn't right. Someone was missing... She looked over the shoulder to see Boss, cracking his knuckles threatningly behind her. _So much for peace and quiet._ She thought to herself bitterly.

* * *

**A/N:** Well... this is long over-due... I actually haven't uploaded or written much of anything in a while. Azure and Rika, whom you met at the beginning of this chapter, belong to Windraider. I hope I did them justice! Please send me a message if I did anything wrong. Now, hopefully, the next chapter will come out sooner. It all depends on my muse... Thanks for your patience and for reading and please remember to review! Characters still accepted, but please remember to leave their Spell book colors.

**SNE121**


	10. Level 10

**Chapter X**

A light breeze lifted the fallen cherry blossoms off the concrete sidewalk, blowing passed Kaori in a spiral of pink. She was in a difficult situation, trapped from behind as well as in front. Cornered. Her body tensed as adrenaline pumped through her system, accelerating her heart rate, preparing to run or to fight. However, her face betrayed nothing. She kept a passively calm expression as she turned sideways, keeping both in her peripheral vision, "Do you boys make it a hobby to harass innocent girls?"

"Only those who cross us," Boss said. Kaori was vaguely aware of the distance between them lessening as the boys closed in, cornering her against the fence of the school.

"So that girl from this morning, Miss Teruyama, she crossed you as well?" Kaori asked, backing away from them, "I find it hard to believe that someone as passive as her ever did anything wrong to you," She felt her back hit the chain link fence and shot a brief glance over her shoulder at it unhappily.

"Wait, I get it," Kaori said with sudden understanding, looking at each boy in turn, "It's a superiority thing, right? Can't handle the big boys, so you go for the helpless victims. I've gotta say, that's a low blow,"

Suddenly, she was pushed back against the fence so forcefully her teeth rattled and she dropped her school bag. The instinct to run was overpowering now, but she kept face, despite the fact that she was certain that they could hear her heat pounding in her chest. Boss held her with her wrists above her head against the fence, bringing them together to hold her still with one hand. With his free hand, he grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look him in the eyes, his face inches away from hers. "You got a habit of running your mouth, Girl?" he spat. Kaori stared at him levelly. The other three had surrounded them both now.

"How about I show you how much trouble that'll get you in," he said. His hand moved down from her jaw slowly down her neck_._ Now she was beginning to panic.

Nearby, turning around that same corner, another female appeared, much shorter and very familiar should Kaori turn around to see. She wore the same color uniform as the boys, attending the same nearby school. Rika stopped upon seeing them standing in a circle, blocking someone out of view. For an instant, she felt the need to turn and run.

She was about to when she saw just who they were bullying. "Miss Sato...?" She muttered, surprised. The girl who had rescued her from these exact boys this morning. But Rika knew Kaori was more then capable of taking care of herself. Rika turned away. There was no need...

Then the blond girl screamed. Rika turned back around to see her struggling to push away Boss, a difficult feat with her hands restrained and pushed by some strange unexplainable courage, she couldn't watch anymore. She fished her cell phone out of her bag and before she even knew what she was doing, she shouted, "L-leave her alone!"

Timid as her voice was, the boys and Kaori turned to look at her, all of them equally shocked, but Kaori even more so. The blond's eyes were wide in surprise, and even her fear seemed to disappear at the sight of Rika, "T-Teruyama?"

"I... I called the cops!" Rika continued. She felt her confidence building with each word she spoke and to emphasize her threat, she raised her cell phone into view. The boys hesitated, as if trying to determine if this girl was telling the truth, but the sound of sirens in the distance convinced them that running was the smartest solution and the two from yesterday took off.

Boss released Kaori and backed away, standing beside the final boy – the new one - with a look of absolute loathing as he stared at each girl in turn. Then, as the sirens got closer, they too turned and ran. As soon as they were out of sight, both Kaori and Rika dropped to their knees in relief.

Kaori took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and looked at Rika with a grateful smile, "I guess you _can_ assert yourself," Rika looked up at her, but the moment their eyes met, she lowered them again, staring intently at the floor.

"You... you're welcome Miss Sato," she said quietly. Kaori laughed slightly at the formality.

"Did you really call the police?" she asked. Rika shook her head, but didn't speak. Kaori tilted her head, frowning. The girl said only the bare minimum that was required, never expanding the conversation. Kaori compared it to speaking to a computer.

Kaori grabbed her backpack and stood up, dusting off her skirt. She walked toward Rika and held a hand out to her ,"Thank you," she said. Rika looked up at the hand, then at Kaori's face before pushing herself to her feet. Kaori pulled her hand back, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, "Do you want me to walk you home?"

"That won't be necessary," Rika said. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "But thank you," before turning away.

"Well... be careful going home, Miss Teruyama," Kaori said, bowing. Rika turned her head to look at her, startled by the formality. "And thanks again for your help," Rika watched her for a moment before crossing the street toward her own home.

She couldn't help smiling as she thought about the look on Azure's face when she told him.

(–)

Kai was unusually quiet as he waked with Haley down the street toward their apartment. Kai was a few paces ahead, his thumbs hooked in his pants pockets. Haley had been watching him for the last ten minutes, ever since they'd left. Was he mad at her? She couldn't think why...

Well, if Kai wouldn't start a conversation, then Haley would. She lengthened her stride until she was standing beside him and said, "You know I was talking to Hayate today, about him going to school," she began. The mention of the demon's name made the corners of Kai's lips twitch unhappily, but he remained silent, "And I was thinking, why don't you start coming? Then you won't have to waste time picking me up and-"

"I don't need to go to school," Kai said simply, "There's nothing this world can teach me that I don't already know,"

"You say that as if you're some sort of genius or something," Haley said jokingly. Kai shrugged.

"I am,"

"Ever heard of modesty?"

Again, Kai shrugged. Haley crossed her arms in irritation, "What's wrong with you? Are you mad at me or something?" she asked him.

"No," Kai said.

"Well then?" Haley asked

"You're annoying," Kai said, waving her off. Haley stepped in front of him, stopping his advanced and placed her hands on her hips.

"Well you're being a jerk," she said to him. She stared him straight in the eyes and he looked back at her levelly. "If it's so much trouble to pick me up from school, Kai, then just stop coming. It's not like I asked you to, you do it on your own,"

"It's not that," Kai said, shaking his head.

"Well then what is it?"

"It's _him_,"

"Who?"

"That Demon!" Kai shouted. The entire exchange had taken place in seconds, each speaking before the other could even finish their words. Haley and Kai stared each other down, neither letting up. Finally, Haley asked, "You mean Hayate? What's wrong with him, he's a good person and so is Kaori,"

"But he's a Demon," Kai said, "You don't seem to understand, Haley. I couldn't care less about the battle, but the fact that you're hanging around with a Demon who's ultimately going to be our enemy makes me uneasy. It's dangerous,"

Haley's expression softened and a small smirk spread across her lips, "Oh, so you're worried about me," she stated. Kai's jaw tightened at the statement and he turned away from her, almost as if embarrassed.

"Of course I'm worried," he said stiffly, "You're my partner and my friend and we don't know anything about them. I think it's better to keep your distance,"

Haley placed a hand on his shoulder and laughed, "You're too paranoid, Kai" she said as he turned his head to look at her, "I promise they won't hurt us. Something tells me that even though we don't know them very well, they're trustworthy. You know my intuition is never wrong,"

Kai sighed, obviously unsatisfied, but he knew better then to try to change his partner's mind. She had a resolve as hard as a rock and couldn't be swayed by words, "Alright, but at least keep your senses alert," Kai said. That was a reasonable compromise.

Haley laughed again and continued forward, "Promise!" She said, "Now, I think I want some rice for dinner. Let's hurry up and get home!"

(–)

The park was, as usual, packed with children just come off of school, taking a break before heading home where they would do their homework. Hikari Sato walked right by the playground toward an area of the park with more trees and rocks, even a small man-made stream running through. A man-made trail designed to bring a scenic appeal to the city. The sixth-year elementary school student walked along the path, wearing her school uniform – a blue knee-length skirt and a white sailor shirt with a blue collar. She carried the regulation school backpack over one shoulder as her her green-blue eyes scanned the trees just off the path, searching for something.

A rustle beyond the brush made her stop in her tracks. "Shiro," she said quietly. From the opposite direction of the rustle, an enormous white dog – no a wolf, emerged. His golden eyes were much more vibrant then they were on their first meeting. All wounds he'd gotten during that first ambush almost a week ago were completely healed and his white fur had a shine to it that made it almost glow in the sunlight.

He walked toward Hikari and the human girl knelt down and stroked his ears. On her knees, the two of them were the same height, Shiro almost taller, but not quite. "How are you today, Shiro?" She asked.

Without opening his mouth, the wolf responded, "My strength is beginning to return," he said, stretching his front paws and yawning and then from there lying down, his head up. Hikari sat down on the floor beside him, leaning against his body, petting the soft fur, "Have you learned any other words?"

At that, Hikari reached into her backpack and took out the thick steel-blue spell book. It looked enormous in her small hands as she opened the hard cover and turned to the first legible page. "No," She said with a frown. She read the words silently to herself. The first time she'd read them aloud, she'd frozen the entire duck pond. _The First Spell. Freezudo._

But Shiro had yet to really explain what this book was for. All he had offered when he discovered Hikari could read it was how unfortunate it was that such an innocent child had to read it. All Hikari knew was that he wasn't normal, and unless she learned how to read more of the words, being around him could be dangerous.

"You know what," Hikari said thoughtfully, "I don't mind. You say it might be dangerous, but I feel safe with you, Shiro," The wolf looked at her and tilted his head to one side, confused. "I don't understand why... but it feels like I was meant to meet you or something,"

Shiro smiled as much as a canine could smile, but it showed in his eyes, "Perhaps you understand more then I thought," he mused.

"Yes, it is the most innocent who are often the most knowledgeable," a mature female's voice said. Shiro stood up immediately and a low growl erupted from deep within his chest. Hikari clenched the book tightly with one hand and held Shiro's fur with the other.

A young woman, no older then seventeen, stepped into the clearing. She wore a long midnight blue dress extending passed her ankles, just hovering above the bottoms of her silver heels. Her long silver hair stretched to her knees with straight bangs covering her forehead, ending just above silver eyes that seemed to glow. Her skin was pale, almost as white as snow, and she held a black parasol to shade it from the bright sun.

Hikari stared at the woman with wide eyes, fear forming a lump in her throat. If Shiro was uncomfortable around her, then there must be a reason to be afraid. "You are Shiro, the White Wolf, are you not?" the woman asked. Her red lips were curled into a smile, "Named by your clan to be as pure as the snow from which you hail." Her silver irises began to glow, a dark violet shade. "But even pure snowfall will eventually be tainted,"

"Hikari," Shiro said, "run,"

Hikari was about to comply, and every fiber of her body screamed to run, but strangely enough, she couldn't. She stared at the girl with her glowing eyes and all of her fear faded away. She didn't feel like running anymore... Instead, she walked toward the strange girl, who extended a hand in welcome.

"You're the younger sister of Hayate's partner," The silver haired woman said. Hikari extended a hand and took hers and the woman pushed a strand of blond hair out of Hikari's face. She tilted the young girl's head upward by the chin to look into her green-blue eyes, now a dull sea green under the woman's trance, "You know that if she finds out that you and Shiro are friends, she'll take him away. Make him disappear. You don't want that, do you?"

Hikari's eyes widened at the thought and something deep in her mind told her not to listen to this woman. But it made sense. Not only did Kaori hate dogs, but Shiro himself said that it was dangerous to be with him. Kaori would never stand for that, "No," she said at last.

"I can help you read more of those pages if you come with me," The woman said, "I'll make sure you can protect him. And together we'll make sure that nasty sister of yours doesn't take him away,"

"No!" Shiro answered for her. With a furious growl, he ran at the woman, but she stepped back, elegantly avoiding his strike. As he passed where she once was, she grabbed the scruff of his neck and with surprising strength for her thin arms, she slammed him down into the ground and held him.

"Bad dog. You need some training, it seems," She said with a smirk. She stared into the canine's wild eyes, her eyes still glowing, and after a brief moment of struggling against her hold, he stopped, the fire in his eyes fading, darkening into something much more sinister. She released the wolf to allow him to stand and Shiro obediently stood by her side. "The purest snow can be tainted," The woman said, laughing. She looked to Hikari, again extending her hand. "See. Your friend trusts me. Will you come?"

_Don't go. She's trying to trick you!_ Hikari's conscious told her. But she ignored it and took the woman's hand with a smile. "Yes," She said at last.

"Excellent," the woman said. She closed her hand around Hikari's, "A few days with me and you'll be more then strong enough to take care of him," She looked toward the pathway leading to the clearing, "Andrea," she called.

A girl with curly brown hair just passed her shoulders appeared, holding a violet spell book. She wore a black t-shirt and black pants, with shoes to match. Her eyes were gray, her skin lightly tanned. She appeared American, and her name seemed to prove the case.

"Are they coming with us, Oracle?" Andrea asked the silver haired girl. Oracle smiled and gently pushed Hikari toward Andrea, who took the girl by the hand.

"They are," Oracle said, "And they shouldn't be any trouble. I've taken care of any resistance," She looked down at Shiro, who remained seated by her side, and nodded toward Andrea. Soundlessly, the wolf padded toward her, staying beside Hikari.

"Don't worry," Andrea said to Hikari in rough Japanese, "Big sister Andrea's going to take care of you now," She led Hikari and Shiro away, leaving Oracle behind to look at the dropped school bag left by the girl. The white haired demon walked toward it and knelt down, picking it up to examine it.

Oracle smiled slightly as she let the bag drop haphazardly to the floor, scattering some of its contents, "The best way to a Demon is through his human partner," she said, "And the best way to that human is through the ones they love," She shook her head, clicking her tongue in mock disappointment, "How long will you take to act, Hayate?"

She spun on her heel, seeming to float above the ground as she walked away.

(–)

After the incident outside the school, Kaori decided that it would be best to wait for Hayate to end practice rather then go on ahead home, thus the sun was already beginning to set as they turned onto her street. However, she did refrain from telling him what had occurred – he'd completely lose it, knowing him, and he seemed to be in a good mood when he finally got off the field.

"I'm telling you, those girls couldn't take their eyes off me," Hayate said proudly. He was holding his backpack over one shoulder, a smirk spread across his lips, "there isn't a guy on that field that moved faster or kicked harder then me,"

"Well of course not," Kaori said with a laugh, "You're a Demon. You're built for speed, strength, and agility." she explained. She looked up at Hayate, "You're really enthusiastic. Does this mean you're joining the team?"

"Of course not," Hayate said, shaking his head, "It wouldn't be fair to have someone like me playing on the team. Besides, something like a school team is too much of an attachment to this world. Hell, going to school in the first place is already too much... Joining the team will just make it harder for the people I've gotten to know to say goodbye,"

Kaori frowned, looking away, "Yeah, guess you're right," she said, "But you know, it sounds to me like you're worried about everyone's feelings,"

"Don't start with that," Hayate snapped a bit too quickly, "I couldn't care less about what you humans felt,"

"Ok, ok, whatever you say," Kaori said with mock belief, "You don't care, got it,"

"I'm serious!"

"Ok!"

They paid no mind to the police car that was parked on the curb in front of their house – it wasn't uncommon for Ichigo to bring home some friends from the station. In fact,the presence of the car normally meant a particularly delicious dinner, which made Kaori and Hayate subconsciously quicken their pace.

"I'm home," They called simultaneously as the entered the front door. They took off their shoes, switching into the house slippers, and walked into the kitchen, where they could smell tea. They expected police, but they didn't expect the serious atmosphere. The two cops sitting at the table with a notepad out, Kaori's parents sitting across from them, her mother in tears, her father trying to be strong, but concern obvious in his gray eyes. Her brother was standing, too tense to sit down, and he was the first to pounce on them.

"Kaori," he said quickly, grabbing her shoulders, "Hikari, she's with you right?"

"What? No, she's not with me, what..." She trailed off, her eyes widening, "Wait... you mean she's not here?"

Kaori's mother, Akina, buried her face in her husband's chest, her blue-green eyes red from tears and she sobbed uncontrollably. Kaori's father, Yuu, stroked her blond hair in an attempt to soothe her. "She didn't come home," he said, "The last place she was seen was the park,"

"We found her backpack," one of the officers said, "and we've gone through everything, but we haven't found a trace of where she could be. By the looks of it, she was abducted..."

Kaori felt her heart freeze over.

**A/N:** You know, this was supposed to happen later.. but I thought I should get a major plot and a reason to fight going about now :]. I hope the development of the characters I'm using is ok! Anyway, next chapter coming soon, I hope! Sorry for so much exposition, but next chapter, there's gonna be a battle!


	11. Level 11

**Chapter 11**

Almost a week after Hikari's disappearance, Kaori finally realized that missing school wasn't going to help anyone. The entire situation had become public knowledge, as the girl's picture had been displayed on the news, but in school, it was even worse. Kaori could feel eyes watching her as she walked down the hallway to her class, Airi and Hayate walking with her.

"I'll be in the classroom next door ok? Let me know if people give you a hard time," Airi said. Then, with obvious reluctance, she walked away from the pair. When they entered the classroom, everything seemed to stop as they made their way to their seats. A group of girls in the corner huddled up, speaking in what they thought was a whisper.

"That girl that went missing is Sato's younger sister, isn't she?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised Kaori's here... Ichigo-senpai hasn't even come back yet,"

"So does this mean that she's given up?"

Kaori clenched her fists and stood up in her seat, walking back out of the classroom. In a school where everyone seemed to know them and were constantly talking about it, this was too much to handle. She walked into Haley on her way out, but slipped by soundlessly.

"Hey, Kaori?" Haley called after her. She frowned – even she'd heard the news.

"Will you all just shut up!" she suddenly heard Hayate shout. She turned back to him to see that he'd yelled at the girls, something that in and of itself was startling. He looked furious as he stormed out of the classroom, pushing passed Haley and running down the hallway after Kaori.

Haley found herself torn – leaving would be bad for her record. But Kaori was her friend, and Haley never left her friends when they needed her. She looked around the classroom, listening to the muttering and said, "You should really listen to him. You're talking isn't helping the situation at all and all it did was upset her," All eyes turned to Haley and she crossed her arms as she continued, "If any of you really consider yourselves Kaori's friends, you should try comforting her, not talking about it like she's not here," Then, with that said, she ran after her friends.

Standing upon a tree outside the school gates was a girl with long blue hair, cat ears visible at the top of her head. Her tail flicked from side to side as she watched Kaori run out of the school, followed by Hayate, calling for her to stop. The cat demon, Maria, looked down at a man leaning against the tree trunk after Hayate and Kaori started down the street. "Well?" She asked expectantly.

The man, Quent, spoke on a phone for a few moments before nodding and closing it, putting it in his pocket. In his hand, he held a light blue spell book, which glowed slightly as he looked up at Maria, "We've got the all clear from Hime-sama," he said.

Maria giggled gleefully and jumped down from the tree, "Finally I can stretch my claws a bit," she said, stretching her arms above her head. Claws seemed to extend from her fingers, then retract once again into her nails. She looked at Quent over her shoulder with a wink, "Shall we?"

(–)

"Kaori!" Hayate shouted breathlessly. Sometimes, even his nearly endless stamina wasn't enough to keep up with this girl when she was upset. He'd never seen Kaori run this much – part of him was convinced that if they went any further, they'd leave the city entirely. They were already running along the waterway. Then, she turned suddenly, stepping off the sidewalk and running down a hill toward the stream below. She tripped over her own feet, tumbling down the rest of the way until she fell in the water.

Hayate stopped at the top of the hill, looking down as she pushed herself up into a sitting position in the shallow water, covering only the bottom of her crossed legs. He walked down toward her, stopping just shy of the water and sitting down on the grass with his legs crossed. For a moment, they were silent. Then, he asked, "You ok?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" she asked him. Hayate frowned. He'd let that slide.

"They'll find her, Kaori. Don't worry." he insisted, "You've got your brother on it too and you know he's going to do everything he can to find him. They've got their search dogs, not to mention her picture is all over the news and..."

"But it's still scary," Kaori said, taking a deep, shuddering breath, "I'm her big sister. I should be taking better care of her. I shouldn't have let her walk home alone... I should've taught her how to defend herself... I..."

She stopped when she felt a hand grab her upper arm and pull her to her feet. Hayate dusted off her uniform, then ruffled her hair to get the grass and sticks out before grabbing her shoulders firmly, "Kaori. Don't blame yourself. It has nothing to do with you. What happened to the annoying optimistic human I partnered with? Kaori or not, I hate seeing girls cry, so smile,"

He flicked her forehead with a smile on his face and Kaori laughed despite herself, swiping his hand away. Even Hayate chuckled softly, "There, that's better," he said, "So what do you want to do? We've officially cut school. We can go home, or stay here, maybe explore the city..."

"I think... I think I want to look around," Kaori said, "They last saw her at the park. Maybe there's something they missed,"

"Kurour!" a male's voice shouted. Hayate and Kaori's eyes widened as they turned toward the source of the spell, from the top of the hill, and they were startled to see a blue blur rushing down toward them. Hayate acted quickly, pushing Kaori protectively behind him and before he could raise his arms to defend, four cuts appeared across his chest, ripping his shirt and seeping blood. He hissed in pain, cringing, but stood his ground.

"At a time like this, a Demon attacks," Hayate growled, "Kaori-"

"On it!" Kaori replied. She had grabbed her spell book even before Hayate pushed her back and already she held it open to the second page, "Ora Jikir!"

Hayate's eyes followed the fast moving demon and he held both hands out, firing the twin beams of wind toward it. It was too fast, however, and hit only the grassy ground where the demon once was. "Damn it, I can't get a shot!"

"Just keep your eyes on it. When it stops moving we'll strike!" She looked up at the top of the hill, "Or we could go straight for the source..." she said, nodding to the glowing blue book in the hands of the middle-aged man.

"Well I can't keep the demon in my sights, so that may be the best plan. I'm going in, try to stay out of range, got it?" He took only a single step forward before he was cut again, this time in the opposite direction, creating a patchwork of 'x's on his chest, and staggered back. "Damn it," he growled, clutching his chest.

"Are you ok?" Kaori asked him worriedly. Hayate nodded.

"Nothing I can't handle. They aren't too deep..." he replied. Finally, the demon stopped and Hayate was startled to see that it was a girl. He let off a low whistle, "Wow, she's pretty cute," he said.

"Down boy," the blue haired girl said with a giggle, "Be a good boy and stay still while I have some fun. After all, Kitty cat likes to play,"

Hayate swallowed a lump in his throat and turned his head to look at Kaori, "Hey, I don't know if I can attack her..." he said.. Kaori stared at him, dumbfounded.

"What? What do you mean you can't attack her?" she demanded.

"She's a girl!" Hayate answered, pointing, "And a really hot one at that..."

"She's a _cat_ girl," Kaori said, "That doesn't qualify as being a girl, does it?"

"All the more reason _not_ to attack her," Hayate said with a grin. Kaori rolled her eyes.

"Unbelievable... she attacks and now you don't want to fight back just because she's a girl? How pathetic are you?"

"Hey, who are you calling pathetic?"

"Hmm... I don't like this, they're not paying any attention to me," Maria said with a frown, crossing her arms. She looked over her shoulder at her partner, "Quent, let's make them focus, kay?"

"Kuroudor!" The book owner shouted. Maria's hands began to glow the same shade of blue as the spell book and she dug them into the ground seamlessly. Kaori and Hayate stopped arguing as the felt a rumble beneath them and separated as dozens of sharp claws erupted beneath them, trying to avoid being impaled. However, rather then attack them, the claws surrounded them, crossing at the top and making two cramped cages that trapped them in place.

"What the hell. Claws?" Kaori asked. She took hold of one of the enormous claws, then quickly released it as the razor sharp edge cut her hand upon contact. "Ow!"

"Don't touch it, stupid!" Hayate snapped.

"How are we supposed to get out?" Kaori demanded.

"You're not," Maria answered for her. She walked toward them, her tail flicking, and approached Hayate's cage. She stood just outside, looking up at the taller Demon and licking her lips, "Hmm... you _are_ cuter up close," She said.

Hayate smirked and crossed his arms, "As much as I appreciate the comment send it right back at you, that's not why you trapped us," he said, "So get on with it, cutie,"

"Oh, right," She hopped to Kaori's cage, "You're Hika-chan's big sister, right?" she asked. Hearing the nickname, Kaori's eyes widened.

"Hika-chan? You mean Hikari?" she demanded. She instinctively reached for the bars again, holding the book under her arm, and this time she ignored the pain as the sharp edge cut into her skin, "You know here she is?"

"Mm-hmm," Maria responded, "We're taking good care of little Hika-chan! And she's getting along real well with us, too. Though I could do without that awful mutt she carries along with her,"

"Where is she? Where's my baby sister?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Maria said, sticking her tongue out at Kaori.

"Don't mess around with me!" Kaori shouted, suddenly furious, "Where's my sister! Tell me or I swear I'll -"

"The human likes to bark a lot," Maria said, wrinkling her nose."Her bite isn't as strong, I'll bet," She twirled in a circle, skipping in figure eights between the two cages. Kaori watched her, her rage building as she tightened her grip on the cage. Blood seeped from the deep gashes in her hands, but she ignored them, her eyes locked on the girl.

"You..." Kaori growled. Her eyes started to tear, partially from anger, partially from the thought of her sister, but either way, the book began glowing blindingly bright. Even Hayate looked angry now, his once flirtatious self gone and faded into the same degree of anger as his partner. Kaori released the claws of her cage and grabbed the book. "Ora Jikiru!" She shouted. Hayate pressed both hands against the bars of his own cage as the twin gusts of wind shot out. They were bigger then usual, at least twice as large, and they broke through the cage easily, shattering the spell.

"Jikir!" Kaori called immediately afterward and the powerful beam of wind hit her own cage, destroying it with a cloud of dust. Maria, startled, stepped back, covering her face to keep the dust and debris kicked up by the wind from getting into her eyes. When she lowered her arms, her eyes were wide.

"He just attacked his own partner. What is he, crazy?" she asked, watching the dust slowly beginning to disperse, "Where did this power come from?"

Hidden by the dust cloud, Kaori turned a page in her spell book. "Looks like we have a new spell," she said to Hayate, "And what a great time for it too," she silently read the word in her mind, then looked up at Hayate, "Are you willing to fight her now?"

Hayate cracked his knuckles, "After she pulled that stunt, yeah, I am," he said, "If she doesn't want to tell us what she knows about Hikari, we'll make her,"

Kaori smirked, "That's what I wanted to hear," she said, "Then let's do this, Hayate. Jikoruk!"

A gust of wind flew toward them, spiraling around Hayate in a large dust devil, drawing in the dust to completely hide him from view. After a moment, the wind dispersed, revealing Hayate once again with a greenish-gray aura surrounding his body. He looked himself over and smirked. "Now this is more like it," he said.

"Alright, Cat Girl," Kaori called to Maria, "I'll give you thirty seconds to tell me where my little sister is before I _make_ you tell me," The book was glowing dangerously bright, a sure sign that she wasn't kidding. For the briefest of moments, Maria looked intimidated as she rose to her feet beside Quent.

"'fraid we can't do that," The human said, his light blue book glowing just as bright as Kaori's, "Hime-sama enjoys playing games. She wouldn't like it if we told her where she's hiding. It'd ruin the mystery,"

"Hime-sama?" Kaori repeated, tilting her head, "So is that her name?"

Hayate's eyes narrowed slightly at the name and he shook his head, "Doubtful. It must be a nickname. But I'm pretty sure her thirty seconds is up,"

"Yeah, I think so," Kaori said. She turned back a page in the book.

"Don't cast spells until I tell you to, Kaori," he said, "I want to test this out on its own," Then, he seemed to take only a single step before he disappeared, seeming to teleport in front of Maria and Quent. Even Kaori was shocked by his speed.

"Kurour!" Quent shouted immediately, and with a hiss, Maria swiped at Hayate with her now extended claws. Hayate dodged with incredible speed, appearing behind Maria with his back facing her. He spun around, lifting a leg and kicing her hard enough to send her flying into the water with a mighty splash.

He disappeared again, appearing directly beside the barely rising Maria with a hand pressed against her head. Even Maria could feel the raw energy beginning to form, the gust of wind picking up as Kaori prepared for the spell. Panicking, she scrambled forward just as Kaori shouted, "Jikir!" and the enormous gust of wind that could easily have taken off her head burst out of Hayate's hand, creating a fissure in the water as it shot into empty air.

She tried to return to Quent, but Hayate was faster then she was, stepping into her path and staring her down with cold eyes, a single palm held directly in front of her face, "You feel like changing your mind yet?" he asked her.

Maria's eyes widened and she backed away, stumbling over her own feet and falling on her butt into the water. "Fine!" She growled, "But you're going to regret wanting to see her," She placed two fingers into her mouth and blew, whistling a long, loud note.

Hayate tilted his head, confused, but that confusion was clarified moments later, when he heard a young female's voice shout, "Freezudo!" Hayate barely managed to avoid the bulk of the attack – a freezing gust of wind that left a trail of ice in his wake. It got his feet, however, knocking him off balance and sending him down with an "Oomph!"and the glow surrounding his body faded away. Again, the spell was cast but this time, it covered Hayate's hands, slowly trying to push himself back to his feet, and trapped them against the grass. "Shit..." he muttered.

"Hayate!" Kaori gasped. She was about to go help him when suddenly, directly in front of her, a dog large enough for a child to ride on appeared, golden eyes cold and staring as it bared its razor sharp fangs and growled. It seemed to be wearing some sort of armor, midnight blue and littered with icicles.

But what really froze her in her tracks was who was riding the wolf. Hikari was just small enough for Shiro's enhanced form to carry her and now that he'd stopped moving she slid off, landing gently on her feet. Kaori took a step toward her, "Hikari?" she gasped. She started to reach out a hand, but stopped when Shiro took a step toward _her, _his fur rising on end.

Hikari stared at her with cold, uncaring eyes a far cry from her usual happy laughing gaze. Her hair, normally tied in pig tails, was now down and straight, stretching just passed her shoulders, and she wore a black knee-length dress and black flats. Kaori started toward her sister again, ignoring the wolf. "Hikari... you're ok!"

"Don't come any closer," she demanded harshly. Kaori stopped again, shocked by the iciness in her little sister's tone, "I'm not here to let you know that I'm ok or to come home. I don't even _want_ to go home. Not when I've got Hime-sama to teach me how to read this," She showed Kaori the spell book in her hands.

Kaori stared at it, for the first time finally realizing that that spell book, as well as the demon standing before her, belonged to her sister. Her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists, "Where did you get that?" she demanded.

"I found him," Hikari answered simply.

"Hikari ,you have to give me that book," Kaori snapped, holding out a hand. "You don't know what that is, it's dangerous,"

Hikari's eyes narrowed dangerously and the book began to glow, "So Hime-sama was right," She said coldly, "You _do_ want to take it away from me. I'm not going to let that happen, Kaori. I'm not stupid – I know exactly what Shiro is, and what Hayate is. Hime-sama explained everything to me."

"You obviously don't know!" Kaori said, "He's dangerous! Everything about him and what he is is dangerous! I forbid you from being part of this, now give me the book!"

"You can't tell me what to do anymore!" Hikari shouted with surprising force. She snapped open the spell book, staring coldly at Kaori, "If you're so afraid of getting hurt, why don't you let me get rid of Hayate's book for you? Freezudo!"

"Kaori, move!" Hayate shouted from his spot frozen on the ground. But it was too late. Shiro released the icy gust from his mouth, freezing the ground around Kaori's feet up to her knees. Kaori struggled to pull free but failed, looking at the girl who was supposed to be her little sister.

"Ganzu Gikor!" Hikari shouted. Shards of ice shot out of Shiro's open mouth, flying toward Kaori, who did the only thing she could – she protected the book, holding it close to her chest and trying her best to shield it as the shards of ice cut her arms, legs, and face, some of them embedding into her skin. She fell back, still stuck by the ice and landing awkwardly on her butt, curled up to protect the spell book.

_How many spells does she have?_ She asked herself, _She can't have had that Demon very long... how is it possible that she's already unlocked so many spells?_ The ice shards stopped coming and she lifted her head slightly, staring at her sister. _What the hell is going on here?_

"You missed the book, Hika-chan. Why not let the adults try it?" Quent suggested. He turned a page in the book and shouted, "Ganja Kuroursen!" Maria held out both hands, sharp nails pointed toward Kaori, and the nails shot out like bullets toward her.

"Ganzu Gikor!" Hikari tried again. She watched the spells approach from all sides, adjusting so that she was able to somewhat draw up her knees and hiding the book behind them.

_I can't lose this book now._ Kaori thought to herself, determined, _He's done so much for me and all I have to do is keep this safe. I can't fail at something this simple! Even if it kills me I'll keep this book in tact!_

"Leave my friends alone!" A familiar female's voice said. "Tsushirudo!" Kaori gasped in surprise as the dirt began to rise up around her from all sides, forming a solid dome just before the spells could hit her. From within, she could hear the _bang_ of the spells hitting the solid wall, but they didn't break through.

It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't alone in the dome. A figure was crouched down in front of her, hands which must have created the shield dug into the ground. "Kai?" she asked, not quite sure if it was real, "How did you..."

"With the amount of energy you two were giving off, I could find you a mile away. You might as well have a giant glowing sign saying "Demon Here" in red letters," Kai said lazily, "I didn't want to come looking, but Haley insisted when she bumped into me while she was on the way to the market. What a troublesome situation..."

"Sorry," Kaori said sheepishly, looking at the ground. Turned his head slightly and sapphire eyes gazed at Kaori contemplatively.

"You must be distracted," Kai said simply, looking away, "Last time we fought, you came up with a battle strategy that outsmarted even me." Kaori, biting her lip, didn't respond with anything other then a quiet, "Thank you," and a small smile.

Outside the dome, Quent and Hikari lowered their books in shock. Where did this shield just come from? Maria reacted differently, stomping her feet in anger, "What the hell! That's cheating, you can't do that!"

"You're worried about that when you're ganging up on her? I think the one cheating here is you! I'm just evening the odds," Haley said with a grin. Hayate had never been so happy to see the girl, his once panic stricken face now beaming.

"Ginger!" he called, using another nickname. Haley looked at him and gave him a thumbs up with a smile. She dome surrounding Kai and Kaori slowly began to crumble, fading back into the ground and as soon as it was gone, Kai stood up. Haley looked at Kaori, feet trapped with ice, and Hayate, hands and legs frozen to the water to prevent spell usage. She turned back a page in the book and placed a finger to the words, "Looks like you guys need to defrost a little. Let me help you out there. Tsuchiku!"

Dirt and rocks rose up from the ground, surrounding Kai's hand, and he turned to Kaori, a fist drawn back. "Don't move," Kai told her, then, he threw his fist down, slamming it into the solid ice and shattering it. Shards of ice erupted around them, shimmering like diamonds on the grass.

Now that she was free, Kaori stood up again and felt an immediate sensation of pins and needles stabbing into her sleeping legs. Kai ran toward Hayate, standing on the ice path left in the water by Shiro, and looked down at him with a smirk. "This is a good look for you," he said.

"Don't make me kick your ass," Hayate responded, smirking.

"Hey, hey, I don't _have_ to free you, you know," Kai said.

"Yeah you do," Hayate said, his expression becoming serious as he looked past Kai to Kaori, whom Haley had gone to help keep her balance, and then at Hikari, who watched the entire scene with a bored expression. Kai tilted his head – even in the Demon World, it was are for Hayate to be this serious about anything. "Just get my hands out and I'll take care of the rest," he said.

Kai sighed and knelt down on the ice, a fist drawn back, then, he punched the ice, shattering it like he did with Kaori's. Hayate opened and closed his fists to get blood flowing through his hands gain, then pressed his hands against the ice on his feet.

"Kaori!" He called.

"Hold it!" Maria growled, "Quent, a spell!" she ordered.

"Kurour!"

"Jikir!" Kaori shouted simultaneously. She ignored Maria approaching her with claws extended and Hayate released the beam of wind on the ice, destroying it. He stood up immediately and ran toward not Kaori, but Shiro.

"Chisokumera!" Haley shouted suddenly. Kai, already running toward she and Kaori to defend, suddenly vanished and reappeared right in front of them, his ground covered hands held in front of him defensively. Maria slashed at him, her claws cutting so deep into the earth that cracks formed all over as it began to crumble. But before it could, Kai threw a punch at the girl, hitting her square in the jaw and sending her flying back. She rolled on the ground a few times before she finally stopped and lay there, breathing heavily.

"How about a taste of our new spell?" Haley asked with a grin as the demon began to rise. She turned a page in the spell book, looking down at the word briefly before shouting, "Tsuchimera!"

Kai crouched down, punching a fist into the ground and where his fist connected, a huge crack shot out, growing wider into a fissure which opened beneath Maria. She tried to get out of the way, but the fissure widened too quickly and she fell, clutching desperately onto the side.

"No! Quent, help me!" She cried desperately, her feet dangling down into the deep crevice that seemed to have no bottom. The book owner started running toward her but he was stopped by a fist hitting him hard in the face. The book fell from his hands and he stepped back, a hand to his bruising cheek.

"Thats because you guys piss me off," Haley snapped. She picked up the light blue spell book, holding her own under her arm, and with her free hand, she pulled out a lighter, holding it to the corner of the book until it caught. "And this is for hurting my friends," she dropped the burning book and put the lighter back in her pocket.

Maria, noticing that she was disappearing, tried futilely to try to make her hands clear again, resulting in her losing her grip on the cliff of the fissure. With a terrified scream, she fell, and Kai opened his fist, laying his hand flat on the ground. It seemed to bold into the dirt as he closed it into a fist again, closing the enormous fissure.

Quent fell to his knees, reaching for the burning spell book, but was too afraid to touch it. "N-no..." He muttered... "What have you done? She'll... she'll..." he stood up, his face pale, the bravado from before completely gone, "I've got to get out of here! Hime-sama... If she finds me, she'll kill me!" Then, without another word, he ran.

Haley tilted her head, confused by his words, "Is he serious?" she asked, a bit concerned. Kai watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Hime...sama?" he asked aloud, a hand to his chin.

While their brief battle was going, Kaori and Hayate were fighting their own. The teenage girl's book was glowing brightly as Hayate ran toward the large, armor-clad wolf. "Don't hurt Hikari!" Kaori called to him.

"You don't have to tell me," Hayate answered, "Just cast the spell, leave the rest to me!"

"Alright... Jikir!" Kaori shouted. Hayate threw out a fist and shot the beam of wind toward the wolf, who stepped forward and took it head on without the slightest resistance. Hayate skidded to a stop, surprised.

"What... it didn't even phase him!" he said, dumbfounded.

"For someone who's been doing this longer then me, you don't know much," Hikari said with a laugh, "That armor is created with a spell. It's not going to be damaged with a weak attack like that. You've got to use something higher leveled – like this! Ganzu Gikor!"

"Ora Jikir!" Kaori called. Hayate shot the twin beams of wind at the oncoming ice. Some of the shards were blown off course, most of them continued toward Hayate, who was hit head on, the glass leaving cuts as he staggered back a few paces. Kaori's eyes narrowed, a a bead of sweat falling from her forehead, her breathing labored."Then I'll just have to give him more strength with my new spell... Jikoruk!"

A gust of wind spiraled around Hayate once again, spinning until his body was glowing with gray-green light before it dispersed with a powerful gust of wind, "And now, Jikir!" Kaori shouted. The spell, amplified by Hayate's strengthening spell, shot toward the wolf, who stood his ground and watched it approach. Hikari turned a page in the spell book worldlessly. "Glishield," she said at last. Shiro opened his mouth and enormous shards of ice shot out of the ground, blocking out the strengthened beam of wind with ease.

_Another spell?_ Kaori asked herself, _This is impossible! How..._ She felt her grip on the spell book beginning to slip and she quickly pulled it against her chest as her legs gave out on her and she fell. The book had stopped glowing now – she'd over-exerted her heart energy. _No! Not now! Please, body, work! Move!_

She tried to rise, but even that was too much for her. The wolf turned its attention to her as the glow surrounding Hayate faded and with a growl, it started forward, Hikari beside it. Then, Hayate was in front of her, a hand holding his aching, cut up chest, his eyes dark, "Take another step and you'll become a rug in my living room, wolf," he warned.

Surprisingly, the wolf laughed and spoke for the first time since it arrived, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?" he asked Hayate, "You're as weak as a human without your partner to read your spells. But if you want to play like that then fine,"

"Ganzu Gikor!" Hikari shouted. Again, shards of ice shot toward them, but rather then move, Hayate spread out his arms protectively, taking the attack head on. His arms dropped slightly as the force pushed his feet, which he'd managed to keep on the floor, back the slightest bit.

"Why... why didn't you dodge it?" Kaori asked him, surprised. Despite his injures, he easily could have.

"I dodge, it'll hit you," Hayate replied, clutching his chest again. Kaori watched as a puddle of blood began to form beneath him, dripping from his wounds, but he seemed to ignore it, straightening once again, "And like hell will I let you get hurt while I can prevent it,"

Kai stepped beside him, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared toward Hikari and Shiro. Haley crouched down beside Kaori and helped her up onto her knees, slinging one of Kaori's arms over her shoulder. The blond looked at the red-head, eyes wide. Haley looked at her and smiled, "Same goes for us," she said.

"As troublesome as it is," Kai added.

Hikari stared at them, her eyes narrowed. "Tsch... I can take them both..." she said confidently. But it was Shiro who stepped in front of her. She looked at the wolf, confused.

"Your energy is already almost at its limit," he said, "We don't stand a chance and Hime-sama won't be happy if my book burns here. We'll retreat for now,"

Grudgingly, Hikari nodded and Shiro bent down to allow her to climb onto his back. The wolf turned, about to leave, but a shout from Kaori stopped him. "Wait!" She ordered. She managed to push herself to her feet, but nearly fell and Haley caught her once again, "You can't leave... Hikari-"

"I'm not going home. Hime-sama is waiting," Hikari said.

"Hime-sama this, Hime-sama that." Kaori shouted angrily, "Who the hell is this 'Hime-sama' anyway?" Hikari stared at Kaori for a moment, then she smirked and looked at Hayate.

"Why don't you ask him?" She asked. Then, without another word, the wolf took off, running quickly with his armor to enhance his speed, and the pair left.

Hayate's eyes widened slightly. How was he supposed to know who this person was? When he looked back at the others, he reliazed that they were all staring at him expectantly. "What is she talking about?" Kaori asked. Hayate frowned and shook his head.

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"Let's think about this later," Haley said, "You guys can't go home like this. Come to my apartment, I'll fix you guys up..."

(–)

Running dowwn the crowded streets of Mochinoki was a sweaty, panick-stricken man whom the citizens believed to be convincingly crazy. They paid him no mind as he pushed passed them, shoving them out of his path to escape some unseen danger. Little did they know, this man _was_ in fat running for his life. Thankfully, he was almost home. He ran into an apartment building and as soon as he was in the elevator – alone – he pushed the number 'twenty'.

He was safe now. Or at least, that's what he thought. When he reached his floor, the elevator opened, and standing, waiting for it, was a silver-haired woman, holding her hand out facing the elevator. Behind her was a brown haired girl holding a glowing spell book. Andrea smirked, and without even opening the book, she said, "Gravirei,"

The gravity placed on the elevator caused the reinforcing chords to snap and for a moment, Quent hovered in the air as the elevator began to fall first. "You've outlived your usefulness," Oracle said. Then, with a scream, Quent, along with the elevator, plummeted twenty floors down to the floor.

A newspaper article the next day would classify it as nothing more then an 'unfortunate technical malfunction'.

* * *

**A/N:** Not much to say here other then hope you enjoyed? And keep those demon's coming! I could use some bad guys, hint hint. Until next time, please review!

SNE121


	12. Level 12

**Chapter XII**

The sound of a voice was what woke Kaori up though, strangely enough, she didn't remember falling asleep. For a moment, she wasn't sure where she was as she groggily rolled over on the bed she was sleeping on, opening her eyes. Bed? Certainly not her own...she couldn't remember going home. In fact, the last thing she remembered hearing was Haley's voice in that park. It took her some time to realize that the voice she was hearing now was Haley again.

Kaori sat up in bed, wincing due to the bandages around both hands to cover the deep cuts, and looked around – the room was fairly plain with a bed and a dresser, with a small television placed atop that. On a shelf against the wall, opposite the closet, there were two photo frames – one of Haley and another red-haired young man, and the other of two adults with a young boy and what Kaori assume to be a young Haley.

"I promise she's safe, Senpai," she heard Haley say outside the bedroom door, which was cracked open the slightest bit. Kaori stood up, briefly running a hand through her messy hair in an attempt to untangle the knots, and stepped out into the living room. She caught sight of Haley in the kitchen, washing dishes while talking on what looked like Kaori's cell phone, "I'm a friend from school – Haley. She just needed some time away, so I invited her over. She was supposed to call, but she fell asleep and..." she paused, as if sensing someone watching her, and turned to look over her shoulder, "Actually, she just woke up. Here, you can talk to her,"

Haley held out the phone with a rather distressed look on her face, "Your brother," she said. Kaori winced slightly upon hearing that but walked toward Haley, taking the phone.

"Oh man, I'm so dead..." she muttered under her breath. She gingerly put the phone to her hear and uttered a frightened, "Hello...?"

She was answered with her brother shouting and immediately she pulled the phone a safe distance away, "Why the _hell_ didn't you call? We've been worried sick, dumbass! I go to pick you up from school and they say you left hours ago, but you're not home, then you don't answer your cell phone. What's wrong with you? With Hikari-"

"I'm sorry," Kaori cut in quickly.

"Sorry? We were worried sick, idiot! I'm coming to get you, where does your friend live?"

Kaori's heart skipped a beat. If Ichigo saw them like this... "No!" She said quickly.

"What do you mean 'no'. This isn't up for debate, I-"

"Big brother..." Kaori said softly. Her brother stopped talking. Kaori only called him that when something bothered him and it always quieted him, even in his worst lectures, "Please, just let me have some time away from there. I'll be back home tomorrow, I just... I need a change of atmosphere,"

She heard her brother huff unhappily, but he said, "Ok, whatever... I'll tell Mom and Dad. But keep in touch. And don't walk home. Call me and I'll take the car to get you."

"Ok. Thanks, Ichi," Kaori said. She hung up the phone and put it down on the kitchen table. She looked at Haley, who'd returned to the dishes, "Sorry about that,"

"It's fine," Haley said with a smile, "It sort of reminds me of my own brother. He's really protective like that,"

"You have a brother?" Kaori asked, surprised. She'd always assumed that Haley was an only child. "So... that guy in the pictures with the red hair...?"

"Oh, you saw those?" Haley said with a laugh, "Yeah, that's my big bro. Leon is his name. He was off at boarding school when I came to Japan so... I haven't seen or talked to him in a while..."

"I see..." Kaori muttered with a slight nod before turning back to the living room area. Hayate was asleep on the couch, the button up shirt of his school uniform removed and replaced by bandages wrapped around his entire midsection. There was a distinct red marking following the lines of the cuts in an 'x' across his chest, but it didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. Kaori sat down cross-legged on the floor beside him.

"You passed out from what I'm assuming to be exhaustion at the park, right when we started to leave," Haley said, drying her hands with a towel as she walked toward the couch. "Hayate tried to carry for for a while... but he wasn't really in very much better condition. He made it half-way before it became too much," She smiled slightly as she leaned against the couch, looking down at the sleeping teen, "He's really protective, this one. Wouldn't let us touch you once you knocked but gave you to Kai just before he fell,"

"I can't fight without my partner," Hayate said gently without opening his eyes, "That's the only reason I did it," He sounded half-asleep still, groggy.

"Idiot," Kaori said to Hayate with a small smile, "You can't become king if you kill yourself,"

Hayate grinned and finally his eyes opened, and he pushed himself up, wincing from the pain. "It takes more then this to kill me. It'll be gone tomorrow," a small laugh escaped his lips, "But _shit_ it hurts like hell,"

"Just relax then," Kaori said, patting his head. His brow furrowed unhappily at the gesture, but he let it slide as she stood up. "We'll stay tonight..."

"Are they alright?" Hayate said suddenly. Kaori looked down at him, confused, and he nodded toward her, "Your hands. They got cut pretty deep and your right hand is shaking still.. are they going to be ok?"

Kaori hid her right hand behind her back and smiled, "Idiot," She said playfully. It seemed, at least now, she was returning to normal, "Don't worry about little things like this when you've got a potentially life-threatening wound of your own,"

"Don't insult me," Hayate said, scratching his head, "Life-threatening... don't make me laugh," The front door opened, revealing Kai carrying two bags filled with some sort of take-out food and immediately, all eyes turned to him.

"Oh, they're awake," he said, walking to the dining table and setting the bags atop it. "Good, that means I can have my bed back."

"I don't know," Hayate said, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back on the couch (though the gesture caused him more pain then good), "I could get used to this. I'll bet the floor is nice. Be hospitable and give your guests the 'bed',"

"Sorry, I'm not the hospitable type," Kai said with a shrug, ignoring the smirk on Hayate's lips. "Since you fancy the floor so much, I'll let you have it to yourself," He placed the bags down on the dining table and looked toward the group, "Dinner," he said simply.

"So what did you bring us 'O King of Sloths," Hayate asked as he walked toward the table. He stood beside Kai, leaning toward the bags and taking a deep whiff of its contents, "Smells like a fine cuisine," he said sarcastically, reaching for it. "Let me guess: Bento's from the market down the street,"

Kai slapped his hand away with surprising speed, sapphire eyes staring at Hayate in what was obviously irritation, "Don't just help yourself, Windy," he said firmly. Hayate stepped back, raising his hands in surrender.

"Oh, right, how rude of me. Where are my manners?" he asked. He bowed as if to royalty, his head inclined briefly, but he raised his eyes mischievously to Kai "Ladies first. Go on, Speedy,"

Kai's eye twitched angrily as he clenched a fist, "Why you..." he growled. Haley and Kaori were surprisingly quick to place themselves between their demons, Haley putting her hands on Kai's chest to push him back slightly and laughing.

"Hayate, you really shouldn't pick on people," she said in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," Kaori agreed, facing her own partner with eyes that seemed to say, 'Do it again and you're dead'. "After all, you never know when it'll come back and bite you," As if to demonstrate her words, she intentionally patted his chest, right where the scar was and his entire body bristled in the sudden spasm of pain.

He clenched his teeth, lowering his head t hide the expression as he said, "R-right, My bad," _Devilish woman..._ he thought to himself angrily.

"Well, now that this is settled, let's eat!" Haley decided, clapping her hands together, "And please, let's not have any more issues, ok?" She added with a sharp glare at Kai. The blue-eyed demon scoffed and grabbed one of the bento's before taking his leave to sit cross-legged on the balcony.

"Look what you did, you jerk," Kaori said to Hayate. The demon shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his own lunch box to eat.

"He's too uptight – learn to take a joke," He said, "Maybe you should be _his_ partner instead, Kaori. I'll take Ginger," He shot Haley a wink and the girl rolled her eyes as she took a seat opposite him. Kaori heaved a frustrated sigh as she sat as far away from him as the table would allow.

(–)

That night, Hayate sat on the balcony, his back leaning against the wall as Kai lay on his 'bed' on the couch inside. He'd been supplied with blankets and a pillow of course to sleep on the floor, but strangely enough, he couldn't get himself to sleep. So instead, he'd gone outside, gazing up at the full moon with tired eyes.

"_Who the hell is 'Hime-sama' anyway?"_

_Those blue eyes stared straight at Hayate, cold and calculating, nothing like the twelve year old he'd come to know in the last couple of weeks. She smirked, "Why don't you ask him?"_

"How would I know...?" Hayate muttered, shaking his head, "Hime-sama... Hime... I don't know any Hime..." he paused, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples, "I know it's a nickname... but who?"

Frustrated, he stood up, pacing in the small balcony before finally stopping facing the moon. He pressed his hands against the railing and looked up at the white surface as if it held all of the answers. "She was obviously being brainwashed by someone... but who could do something like that?"

"That's a good question," a voice behind him said. Hayate jumped startled by the suddenness and turned around sharply to see Kaori standing by the sliding door. Somehow, she'd managed to slip out without him hearing. With a sigh, Hayate turned back around.

"I thought you were asleep," he said simply.

"I was," Kaori said simply, resting her arms against the balcony railing and leaning against it as sh stared out into the darkness of the apartment complex. For a while, nothing was said between either of them.

Then, suddenly: "What should I do, Hayate?" Kaori asked at last. Hayate looked at her and noticed for the first time that she was shaking. Her eyes were locked on nothing but darkness straight ahead of her and her jaw was set and she seemed to be biting her tongue, "I saw her today but I couldn't bring her back. I can't go and tell my parents or my brother. She's got that monster with her... if they go after her and get hurt..." she paused, burrying her face in her hands and taking a deep breath to try to calm herself down, "But... if I leave it and _she_ gets hurt..."

"We'll bring her back," Hayate said firmly. Kaori looked at him, her eyes brimming with ears that she tried desperately to hold back, "But we can't do anything until we figure out who this 'Hime-sama' is." He closed the space between himself and his partner and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Just give it some time. I promise, it'll work out. Just... hang in there, ok?"

Kaori looked at him, surprised by his reassurance, then quickly looked away, returning to the door silently. However, before entering, she stopped and looked back at Hayate, "Thank you," She said quietly. A single tear escaped her eyes as she turned away and she returned to her bed on the floor in Haley's room. Hayate smiled slightly and re-entered the house, settling himself into his own bed and closing his eyes.

"You're welcome," he whispered to himself as he drifted off.

(-)

"Sato... Hikari," Azure muttered as he watched the image of a little blond girl on the television. Every day for the last week, it was on the news – the beginning and the end – a young girl everyone was searching for. The name bothered him... he was sure he'd heard it somewhere before. Maybe a popular television show? An anime? "No, that's not it..." he said to himself. Without bothering to move from his comfortable spot on the couch, he paused the television and called toward the kitchen, "Rika!"

After a moment, the girl appeared in the entryway to the living room, her blue hair tied in a high ponytail to keep it out of her face and obviously the food she was currently cooking. An apron was tied around her neck and a ladle was in one hand. "What is it, Azure?" she asked.

The white haired boy turned his azure eyes to Rika and pointed to the television, "This name, I know I've heard it somewhere before – somewhere other then television..." he said. Rika turned her gaze to the still image on the screen – the picture of Hikari Sato smiling at the camera, "I think... wasn't it you who mentioned someone named 'Sato'?"

"Yes, Kaori Sato." Rika said, "That girl who saved me from those boys last week, remember? Come to think of it, I haven't seen her since I helped _her_..." She paused, tilting her head to one side, "Did something happen to her?"

"Not her," Azure said, "Maybe a relative. Did she look like that?"

Rika took a closer look at the screen – the little girl _did _look surprisingly like Miss Sato, only smaller. A caption was displayed beneath 'MISSING: Hikari Sato' with a tip hotline. "Maybe it is her sister," Rika mused, "How unfortunate. And Miss Sato is such a nice girl, too..."

Azure stared at his friend with a raised brow, "That's it?" he asked, "Isn't she your friend or something?"

Rika seemed to consider this, tapping the handle of the ladle into her free hand and holding it almost like some sort of weapon defensively. Truth be told, this sudden information _did_ worry her for some reason. She shrugged it off as nothing more and a sisterly instinct and concern for Azure, "I don't have time for things like friends," she said indifferently, returning to the kitchen, "I hope that wherever this girl is that she makes it home safely,"

Azure frowned at the answer. Just when he thought Rika was finally going to start opening up... he sighed and pressed the 'play' button to continue the live news cast.

"_An unfortunate technical malfunction took the life of a man in an apartment in Tokyo, but some workers think that there is more to it..."_ Azure's eyes narrowed slightly and he leaned forward in his seat to listen.

"_The elevator was just checked a few days ago – perfectly safe. In fact, the wires supporting it were recently replaced last year, so there's no way it could have broken," _ Another man on the screen said to the camera,_ "And the thing was completely destroyed! Looks to me more like it was crushed by a boulder or something,"_

"Azure!" Rika called from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready, come eat!"

"Crushed..." Azure muttered. He crossed his legs and rested his elbow on one knee, biting the tip of his thumb in contemplation, "I wonder... could it have been a Demon?"

"Azure!" Rika called again. The boy looked to the kitchen briefly before looking back at the television. The next news story had come up and with a sigh, he stood. Until they came after him, if that occurred, it wasn't their problem.

* * *

**A/N:** I really love writing Kai as the cool quiet type. A man of few words, you know? And a great counter to the mischievous Hayate! Not really much here but exposition, but next chapter, I hope to get more characters involved, hopefully a battle if my muse decides to work for me (that problem is really why there's nothing too imaginative here...). But thanks or putting up with me, guys! If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear them in your reviews! Or anything you'd like to see in the story? Let me know, because it'll really help :]

SNE121


	13. Level 13

**Chapter XIII**

Kaori was glad that it was raining outside on this particular day, giving her an excuse to wear a sweater and gloves to cover the bandages wrapped around the still healing wounds she'd received two days before. Hayate, being a Demon, had healed after no more then a day, leaving him with nothing more then a faint, fading scar of what once was a gaping gash.

Bowling balls flew down the lanes with a thunderous rumble, crashing into the pins at the end. It was one of the few bowling alleys around that weren't computerized, or motion censored. Real balls. Real pins. A real accomplishment when a strike was hit. However, the _real_ treat was watching Hayate struggling to figure it out.

"So let me get this straight..." he said, looking at the ball in his hands, "I put my fingers into these holes here on the ball?" He pointed at the three finger holes on the bowling ball, which automatically changed size to custom fit each bowler.

"Yeah," Kenta said with a nod, "And then you roll it down the alley to the pins there at the end. Like this," He gestured by picking up his own ball, walking onto the polished wooden alley floor, and then taking several large steps toward it before releasing the ball, one leg crossing behind the other in perfect form as he sent the ball with just the right speed and direction to hit the pins dead in the center and bowl a strike.

"Nice shot!" Saki said with a grin and a thumbs up. Kenta smiled slightly, embarrassed, but returned the gesture.

"And my fingers won't get stuck?" Hayate asked skeptically. Not that it was really a problem. If worse came to worse, he could slam the ball into a wall with enough force to shatter it, but he preferred not to do something like that. Typically, displaying to much of his abnormal strength around normal humans got Kaori angry.

"It fits to them automatically, so you don't have to worry," Kenta said with a smile, "Just try it, it's your turn," he pushed Hayate toward their alley and Hayate looked down the lane skeptically. It wouldn't be that hard, right? Like target practice back in the Demon world. He backed up a few steps, then copied Kenta's movements exactly, releasing the ball into the lane. Unfortunately, and embarrassingly, it didn't work out as planned.

Rather then smoothly fly down the alley like Kenta's had, Hayate's bowling ball bounced a couple of times, too much force behind the throw, and then turned into the gutter, harmlessly sliding right passed the pins at the end. A couple of girls in the next alley giggled and Hayate's face reddened in embarrassment as he turned to retrieve the ball from the return a second time.

"One more turn, right?" he asked Airi. The girl nodded, trying her best to hold back her own laughter with what appeared to be a sympathetic smile. Kaori, however, was grinning from ear to ear at the sight. Watching Hayate struggle with the simplest human things was incredibly amusing.

"Don't throw it so hard," Kenta said, "just let the ball do the work. You can do it!"

"Still, I can't believe he's never been bowling before..." Saki said.

"He's a poor deprived child," Kaori stated simply, watching with her arms crossed, and Saki laughed softly. Kaori had opted to stay out of the game, unable to grip the bowling ball with her cut hands, but she didn't mind. It was more fun to watch this then to play.

Hayate shot a glare at Kaori and Saki, an obvious indication that despite the loud rumbling of other bowling balls, he could hear everything they said. Kaori waved at him, sticking her tongue out, and with a roll of his eyes, Hayate turned back to the alley. "Alright, I won't lose to you..." He said to the bowling ball in his hands quietly. He tried again, and this time the ball slid smoothly down the lane with a slight tilt to the side. At first, he thought he'd actually make a decent hit, but the ball drifted further and further until at the last moment, it missed the end pin by a hair and fell into the gutter with a clunk.

"That's not fair!" He exclaimed, pointing, "That should've hit! This stupid game is cheating!"

Now even Kenta laughed, "It's not possible to cheat, Hayate," he said, "You just had the wrong angle. Don't be a sore loser; you'll get the hang of it!"

"Yeah, don't worry, Hayate," Airi said teasingly as she stood with her own bowling ball to take her turn. Like Kenta, she bowled a strike, drawing a chorus of cheers from the others save for Hayate, who sat with his arms crossed, his jaw dropped. Airi shrugged at him, "Guess bowling isn't your sport. You can do everything else, so don't complain," She told him.

"Kaori, are you sure you don't want to play?" Saki asked Kaori, looking at her friend with her hands on her hips, "Come on, just a few rounds! It'll be fun!"

"No, really I'm fine," Kaori said with a smile, "I'm not in the mood, you know? Just spending time with you guys is more than enough for me,"

Saki frowned, unhappy at the response, "That won't do for us, though," she said, "You've got to play, come on!" She took Kaori's hand and the girl bit her lip, wincing slightly.

"Sakura, your turn," Hayate said quickly. He wasn't quite used to calling Saki by her nickname, thus remained with her real name. Saki turned to look at Hayate briefly and in that moment, Kaori silently thanked Hayate.

"Oh, you're right!" She said. She turned away, taking her hot pink bowling ball from the ball return and grinned, "Let me show you how a real bowler plays," Then, she turned and threw the ball down the lane, straight into the gutter.

"Oh yeah, real talent!" Kenta said, laughing. The others, even Kaori and Hayate, joined him and Saki responded by sticking her tongue out at her friends.

"Make fun of me all you want, it was just a bad first round!" Saki insisted indignantly, retrieving the ball from the return and going again. The rest of the game went similarly, with Hayate steadily getting better and better at actually hitting the pins, and in the last frame of the game, he actually made a strike (a large accomplishment that he felt entitled him to a soda, which Airi happily supplied)

That single game was all that they had time for before Saki got a call from home, "I applied for a job over at a nearby restaurant!" she'd explained when she got off the phone, "Apparently, they called and want to schedule an interview, so I've got to get home..."

"Here, I'll give you a ride," Kenta said, jingling the keys of his parents car in one hand. Saki gladly accepted and with a quick goodbye, the two left, leaving Airi, Kaori, and Hayate behind.

At first, the three were silent as they sat on the wall of a planter just outside the bowling alley. The clouds had begun to clear, allowing the waning moon to rise into the blackening sky and they gazed up at the slowly appearing stars.

"That was fun, don't you think?" Kaori asked at last, looking down from the stars at her best friend. Initially, Airi didn't look at her, then, she lowered her gaze to stare Kaori straight in the eyes, blue-green meeting brown.

"Yeah, but you didn't bowl at all," she said. She looked down at Kaori's hands and the blond self-consciously stuffed them into the pocket of her hoody, "I'm not stupid, Kaori. I know you're hurt. It wasn't cold enough in the bowling alley to be wearing gloves and a jacket. What happened?"

"It's nothing, really," Kaori said quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was relive any of the battle that had caused her injuries in the first place, "I don't want to talk about it, so please drop it, ok?" Kaori thought Airi was going to press the issue, holding the girl's eyes briefly with her own, then Airi looked away with a sigh, back up at the sky.

"Alright, whatever you say," she said at last, "Just try not to get too hurt when you guys are fighting, ok? And Hayate? You make sure you protect her,"

At being addressed Hayate straightened up, his voice caught briefly, "Uh... yeah, of course," he said quickly, "I am, so you don't have to worry..."

He was cut off by a sudden roar of thunder accented by a bright flash of lightning. Both were instantaneous, a sign that a storm was right upon them, but looking up, there was no rain falling anymore. The clouds were still present, but the lightning didn't seem to even be _coming_ from above.

Hayate stood up, his entire body tense as he looked up at the sky. Another flash of lightning, roar of thunder, and Hayate's snapped his head downward, eyes darting to the left in time to see the lightning rise up _from the ground_ and scatter.

"What was that?" Airi asked with sudden panic, rising to her feet as well and hiding behind Hayate.

"It must be a Demon," Hayate answered, "And a pretty damn powerful one by the look of it..."

"If it is, then they must be attacking something," Kaori said. For some reason, her heart was pounding, every muscle in her body begging her to go toward the source, "It might be a civilian. We've got to go help!" She started forward, but the sleeve of her jacket was caught tightly by Airi, holding her back.

"Hold it!" she shouted angrily, "Are you crazy? There's _lightning," _As if to emphasize her point, another blast of thunder erupted, the light shooting up from the alley between two buildings.

"I know," Kaori answered, "And every second we spend here opens up the opportunity for someone to get hurt! I'll be fine, Airi. Just find somewhere safe to go!" She pulled out of her friends grip and ran. Hayate right beside her. She unzipped her jacket, pulling the book out in the process. Water from the earlier rain soaked her jeans as she stepped into ankle deep puddles, crossing the abandoned street as yet another crash of thunder erupted.

(–)

Rika was running. She didn't know where, but she just knew that she had to run. Azure was right beside her, his left arm blackened from burns, his clothes torn in several places. Both were breathless as they sprinted down the alleyway in search of an exit.

"Raikeru!" They heard behind them. Azure was first to react, skidding to a stop and spinning around to face the oncoming burst of yellow lightning. Rika stopped not long after, the sky blue spell book in her hands glowing madly.

"Lashield!" she shouted. A layer of ice surrounded Azure's left arm, expanding and stretching into a large round shield. He raised said arm in front of him protectively and the jagged lightning burst slammed into it with enough force to shatter the fragile ice, sending a shouting Azure shooting back from the force of the impact right into Rika's expectant arms. She lost her balance upon catching him, falling with a splash into a deep puddle of rainwater.

"Azure, are you ok?" She asked the younger boy worriedly, completely disregarding her now soaked clothes. Azure gritted his teeth to hold back the pain as sparks of electricity emitted from his limp arm. Stunned, he thought to himself, from the lightning.

Azure pushed away from Rika to rise, then turned to help the girl up himself, grasping her hand and pulling her up to her feet. "I'm ok," he insisted tiredly, "This is nothing compared to what I went through back home. Just focus on fighting, Rika!" he said.

Rika bit her bottom lip, worried. She would have preferred not to fight at all, but looking passed Azure to their approaching opponents made it obvious she didn't have a choice. One of them, the one with the turquoise spell book, was a middle aged man with shoulder length blonde hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes. It was apparent that at one point in his youth, he was quite handsome, but age was quick to change that, making him look quite a few years older than he truly was. He wore very aristocratic clothing in comparison with the demon.

This one was tanned, no older then fifteen or sixteen with golden hair and piercing red eyes that were the most demon-like features Rika had ever seen. He was wearing a simple tank top and tattered jeans, his thumbs hooked into his pockets as he walked forward with a rather bored expression, "You know, it's not fun if you don't fight back," he said, "This battle is supposed to be a challenge, not a walk through the city. Come on, fight me!"

"Be patient, Ari," the older man said with a distinct French accent, "Besides, the less they cast, the easier it is for us,"

"Rika!" Azure said sharply, raising both hands upward. The older girl opened the glowing spell book and searched the words briefly before finding what she needed – the first spell should do some significant damage while they were distracted.

"Runae!" She shouted. The book flashed, as if recognizing being used, and from Azure's palms, large shards of ice shot out, flying toward Ari and his book owner. The red-eyed demon watched it approach, a smirk spreading across his lips.

"That's more like it," he said with a grin, "But it's not going to cut it, you know! Giles?" He said over his shoulder to the human as he crouched down.

"Rashield!" Giles shouted shortly after, the turquoise spell book in his hand glowing just as bright as Rika's. Ari slammed his palms into the ground and a few feet in front of them, an enormous golden shield composed of electricity shot up. In the center was a lightning bolt, the gem in the center turquoise and accenting against the yellow barrier. The large shards of ice slammed into the shield, seeming to push through initially, but Gile's book glowed brighter and within moments, the ice was being shot right back at Rika and Azure, sparking with electricity.

"Darn it," Azure muttered under his breath. He turned to Rika, whose eyes were wide in shock at their own spell being turned against them, and shouted, "Run!" The girl didn't move, however, and desperately, Azure tackled her to the ground to shield her with his own body, protecting both her, and the spell book from the icicles that, though not directly hitting them, shocked them with sparks of electricity from all sides.

Rika bit back the scream that rose in her throat, keeping it at bay for the initial shock, but when it didn't stop after a few seconds, she no longer could. She held the book close to her stomach, curling around it as the lightning illuminated hers and Azure's bodies, and when at last the electricity faded, both fell to their knees, breathless. Tears fell involuntarily from Rika's eyes, mixing with the rainwater in the puddle beneath her.

"Rika!" Azure exclaimed. He managed to push himself to his feet, turn to Rika, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you ok? You have to get up, come on!" he said. And Rika wanted to. She really did, but something in her wouldn't allow her. Was it fear that paralyzed her? Or this electricity? "Rika!" Azure tried.

"Looks like your partner's given up," Ari said in irritation. Azure spun on his heel to face the older demon, his fists clenched and his light eyes narrowed furiously. Ari was only a few yards away, his arms crossed unhappily. "No fun. This wasn't even a challenge. What a complete waste of my time. Giles, let's burn his book already. I don't want to look at that pathetic face of his,"

Ari raised a hand to Azure and Rika and already electricity was beginning to spark within it as the spell book in Giles' hands began to glow. "Raikeru!" the man shouted.

Simultaneously, another book was glowing nearby, the bright yellow light illuminating the darkened alleyway. As Giles cast his spell, the holder of this spell book cast her own, "Jikir!" The lightning shot forth from Ari's hand, but it was quickly thrown off course as a powerful, fist slammed into his face from the side, propelling him to the right with a strong burst of wind that shot forth after the impact.

Ari hit the wall across the alley with enough force to crack the hard brick, grunting upon impact. Azure's eyes widened in shock. The attack was so fast, he hadn't even seen it happen, and wouldn't have believed it were it not for the lightning demon leaning heavily against the wall and the white haired young man standing where Ari once stood, a fist extended.

Hayate lowered his fist, hooking his thumbs in his pockets like Ari had done not too long ago, leaning back slightly to look down at the demon, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" he asked.

As Giles backed hastily away from Hayate, Kaori ran to Rika and Azure. The young Demon raised his fists protectively, but Kaori disregarded the defensive stance, kneeling before him, "Are you ok?" she asked him. Then, she noticed the girl behind him and her eyes widened, "Miss Teruyama?" she asked, surprised.

The sound of Kaori's voice made Rika's eyes widen and she looked up to stare at the girl in disbelief. The sight of the yellow spell book in Kaori's hands surprised Rika as much as Kaori was shocked to see the sky-blue book in hers. Suddenly, Rika was able to speak again.

"You have a-" Both girls stopped, realizing they'd spoken the exact same question. Kaori shook her head briefly to clear her thoughts and stood back up, turning away from Rika and Azure to face Hayate. Ari was standing straight once again and he looked absolutely furious.

"Forget it," Kaori said, "Hayate and I will take care of this guy. You get out of here while you can," She returned to her partner's side, leaving a bewildered Rika and confused Azure behind.

Ari rubbed his head with a feral growl that seemed almost inhuman (Kaori had to remind herself that it in fact _wasn't_) as he stared daggers at Hayate. Giles was quick to return to the red-eyed demon – the one place he was fairly certain he'd be safe. "Who the hell are you?" Ari asked Hayate.

"I may as well let you know, huh? After all, it'll be the last you get to know before I send you crawling back home on your hands and knees," Hayate said with a smirk. The condescending tone in his voice brought another growl from Ari's chest, his teeth bared in irritation and his eyes seeming to darken into a deep maroon. Hayate raised his right hand, pressing two fingers to touch the corner of his forehead before flicking them outward in a mock-salute to the demon across from him, "The name's Hayate Uzuki. Nice to meet you," He said with a ring of sarcasm.

Ari's eyes widened in surprise at the introduction, the anger fading away into absolute shock. His once dominant posture and demeanor quickly retreated into one of much more submission as Ari took a single step back, away from Hayate and Kaori. "H-Hayate?"

Kaori's eyes narrowed in confusion at the sudden change in behavior. She'd just seen this boy confidently attack Rika and that other boy, and now he was cowering like a puppy at the mere mention of Hayate's name. She looked curiously at her partner, as if expecting some sort of explanation, but Hayate didn't return her gaze, keeping his gray-green eyes locked on Ari as a small smile started to play at the corners of his lips.

But Ari swallowed his fear, holding his ground and raising his fists confidently, "S-so what! I'm not going to let a name scare me!" he decided, "You want me to send you back first, then that's entirely on you! Giles, let's roast these annoying flies!"

"Pretty confident, aren't you?" Hayate asked, punching a fist into his hand and cracking his knuckles, "Alright then, show me that light show of yours,"

_Why does he always have to antagonize...?_ Kaori asked herself as she watched Ari's anger beginning to show once more. The demon's face had reddened slightly as he straightened up, holding out both hands and bracing himself for what seemed to be a powerful attack. _Why was that guy so scared __though...Sometimes, I wonder if Hayate's really a good guy or not..._

Giles' spell book began glowing brightly across from Kaori and the blond girl opened her own shining spell book in preparation to counter-attack whatever was thrown at them. "Raikeru!" Giles shouted after a moment's deliberation.

From Ari's extended hand, a powerful bolt of lightning shot forth, followed almost instantly by a crash of thunder that shook the ground beneath Kaori's feet. Would Hayate's wind spells be able to stand up to this lightning, she wondered?

"One way to find out!" Kaori said aloud. She adjusted her footing on the wet floor, her eyes narrowing slightly as she pressed a hand to the spell book and shouted, "Jikir!"

* * *

**A/N:** Ahem… well I think I owe everyone an apology for the amount of time it took me to get this up. To be perfectly honest, I've had it done for months, but had intended on adding more. But, after reviewing the entire story for a refresher and re-reading this chapter, I realized that this is just far enough for this chapter. The next one I hope will come sooner – with school though, I've been having some trouble staying active (I think my last update was right before I started college…) Anyway, now that I've re-read, my muse is pretty active! So here's the latest chapter, and coming up after this, it's Hayate vs. Ari! Sorry for the delay~ don't forget to review.

SNE121


End file.
